The Churches and Monasteries of Egypt and Some Neighbouring Countries, by Abu-Salih the Armenian

Home , Atfih, Church of Saint Peter, Dirgham, John the Dwarf, New Thebes, Paoni

UHRJWY

Y-A- SlUtrnta (Bxffjiwnsta THE Churches and Monasteries of Egypt AND Some Neighbouring Countries

ATTRIBUTED TO ABU SALIH, THE ARMENIAN

EDITED ANDt TRANSLATED BY

B. T. A. EVETTS, M.A. TRINITY COLLEGE, OXFORD

WITH ADDED NOTES

ALFRED J. BUTLER, M.A, ES.A FELLOW OF BRASEN'OSE COLLEGE, OXFORD

xfotlr AT THE CLARENDON PRESS 1895 Bonbon HENRY FROWDE Oxford University Tress Warehouse Amen Corner, E.C.

MACMIU.AN & CO., 66 FIFTH AVENUE CONTENTS

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PAGE

Preface . v-viii

Introduction ix-xxv

English Translation 1-304

Appendix 305-346

Indexes :

I. Index of Churches and Monasteries in Egypt . . 347-352

II. Supplementary Geographical Index 353-358

III. Index of Personal Names 359-373

IV. Index of General Names 374-382

Arabic Text i-ifr

a 2 [IJ. 7]

PREFACE.

The History attributed to Abu Salih the Armenian is here edited for the first time, by the kind permission of the Minister of Public Instruction and of the Administrator of the National Library in Paris, from the unique MS. purchased by Vansleb in Egypt in the seventeenth century, and now preserved in that Institution. The present edition is based upon a copy made by the editor from the original, which he afterwards had the advantage of comparing with another

copy most liberally placed at his disposal by M. l'Abbe Hyvernat, together with the results of a collation by Professor Ignazio Guidi. To these eminent scholars, therefore, the editor begs to express his deepest gratitude. Professor Margoliouth has also had the goodness to look through both the copy of the text and the translation, and

to elucidate many points of difficulty. Mr. Alfred Butler, whose book

on the Coptic Churches forms the only work of importance existing

on that subject, has generously 'consented to aid in the interpretation of an obscure author by his knowledge of Coptic history and and his contributions to the work are no means archaeology ; by limited to the notes which bear his initials. The system adopted in the transcription of Arabic names is similar to that used in

Mr. Butler's Coptic Chinches. It docs not pretend to be perfect. vi PREFA CE.

and among other defects does not express the J of the article before

' the solar letters,' or the shortening of the long final vowel in y\ and

other words before the article, or the Hamzah except in the middle of a nor are the nuances in the of the vowels word ; pronunciation

indicated but no other is to this. The ; perhaps system preferable

vocalization of the Arabic forms of names of places is, where possible, that of Yakut, as being in use at the time of our author.

In the transcription of the text the original has been closely followed, the diacritical points alone being added where they were wanting. Some of the deviations, however, from classical orthography and grammar are indicated by foot-notes on the first few pages of the text.

The existence of the work has long been known to scholars through the references made to 'Abu Selah,' and the passages quoted from him by Eusebe Renaudot and Etienne Quatremere. Recently M. in also, Amelineau, his Geographic de lEgypte a tepoque copte, has made some little use of the history of Abu Salih, although he has by no means extracted all the information which the book affords on the subject of Egyptian geography. M. Amelineau seems to be fully aware of the value of the work of Abu Salih, at least in certain portions. On the other hand, he seems to have an exaggerated idea of the difficulties presented by the MS. 'It is very badly written in point of language,' he says,

' and most of the diacritical are I points wanting ; yet have translated

' the whole of in it, spite of the difficulties which it presents. I believe

' that the MS. is incomplete in several parts, and has been badly ' bound The together. possessor of the MS. has erased the Coptic 'numerical at the figures top of each leaf, in order, no doubt, that 'the absence of part of the MS. might escape notice. Nevertheless, 'the arc figures still visible, and enable me to conclude that a con- PREFA CE. vii

'siderable part of the MS. is wanting, and that the leaves are not 'arranged in their proper order. Moreover, it is often impossible to

' translate, because the sense cannot be completed.' The French scholar here seems to overstate the case. From an examination of the MS. made by the authorities of the National Library, the editor is able to say that, while it is true that no less than twenty-two leaves are wanting at the beginning of the book, the rest of the leaves are bound in their proper order, according to the

which are still Coptic ciphers, visible, as M. Amelineau states ; with the single exception of the leaf which formed the thirtieth folio of the MS. in its original state, but which is now wanting. The reader, therefore, will understand that there is a lacuna between fol. 8, according to Lie new or Arabic pagination, and fol. 9, which bears in the MS. the the Coptic number 31 ; and that words at the beginning of fol. 9, 'This revenue,' &c, do not refer to the preceding estimate of the revenues of Egypt. The owner of the MS. seems to have supplied the first folio himself, and to have given a new pagination in Arabic figures to the remaining portion of the original book, so that folio 23 became folio 2, and so on. It should be added that the

Coptic figures are wanting on fol. 38, which formed fol. 60 of the complete MS., and also on the last two folios.

fol. is as The word Isij on 12a translated 'Extreme Unction,' a meaning which the word bears at least in Africa. In late Arabic,

' is also a nomen verbi of and ' to or however, Lsij -Jj , signifies marry

' marriage,' so that our author may perhaps here refer to a practice of marrying within the prohibited degrees then existing among the Copts. The statements of the Coptic Synaxarium, occasionally quoted in the notes to the present edition of Abu Salih, are not guaranteed as being always historically accurate. For instance, the Emperor Diocletian is usually represented, without reference to his colleagues in viii PREFACE. the empire, as himself carrying on the persecution which goes by his name, although in reality he abdicated two years after the promulgation of the edict which sanctioned and originated it : and, to take another

' example, St. Theodore is called magister militum,' although this office was not instituted until the reign of Constantine. Nevertheless valuable traditions of early Church history, and in particular of the great persecution itself, are embodied both in the Synaxarium and in the Coptic Acts of tlie Martyrs, on which it is partly founded. INTRODUCTION

The sole indication which we possess of the name of our author is to be found in the title inscribed on the first page of the MS. This title, however, was supplied, as it has already been said, by a later hand and it is there ; is, moreover, obviously incomplete. No name ' ' given to the work, beyond the meagre designation of chronicle or ' ' and this is so to the rule of Arabic literature that it history ; contrary is enough by itself to prove that the original title had been lost. The author is designated by his praenomen only, as 'Abu Salih the Armenian.' It is a recognized fact in Arabic orthography that the proper name Salih (Jl^) is one of those which may by common custom be written defectively

without the 1 see i. Hence there is no ; Vernier, Grammaire arabe, p. 91. reason to adopt the form 'Abu Selah,' used by Renaudot, Ouatremere, Amelineau, and others. It must, in the absence of further proof, re-

' main doubtful whether 'Abu Salih can be taken as the true praenomen [kunyak) of the author of the present work. His nationality, on the other hand, may be inferred, not only from the title, but also from the internal evidence of the book, for the lengthy description of the Armenian churches, and of the affairs of the Armenian patriarch, would tend to show that the writer had a the special connexion with Armenian nation ; and, although he often speaks as though his sympathies and interests were bound up with those of the Copts, we must remember that this very Armenian patriarch, of whom we 'have spoken, was consecrated in the presence of Gabriel, the seventieth patriarch of the Copts (Renaudot, Hist. Patr. an<3 there are other of intercourse pp. 57~59) '> many proofs friendly between the two races. Moreover, on fol. 3 a, the Armenian form of the name Sergius (\)uipfyf,u, Sarfcis) is, as Mr. F. C. Conybeare recognizes, correctly transcribed in Arabic as u-^, Sharkis, and explained as being equivalent to i*^, Sirjah. It may be maintained, therefore, as a proba- b [II. 7-] It X CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

the was Armenian It is bility, that the author of work by nationality. that ' Abou Selah visited surprising, however, that M. Amelineau says (sic) in that Egypt at the moment when the Armenians were all-powerful that Abu Salih, if that was country.' It is surely much more probable his name, was not a mere visitor to Egypt, but rather a member of the there at the end of Armenian colony, the ancestors of which had settled the the eleventh century of our era, under the protection of Badr al-Jamali, Al-Mustansir and that our author had been Armenian vizier to the caliph ; the born and bred in the country. This would explain his Arabic name, of fact of his writing in Arabic, and his familiarity with the history Egypt. in the As for his being in Egypt at a time of Armenian preponderance state, is that the Armenians the facts are precisely the contrary. There no proof and were in special favour under the three last of the Fatimide caliphs, a time the greater part of our author's life must have been passed during when the Armenians in Egypt had succumbed to the misfortunes which overtook them at the time of the Kurdish invasion, and had been much reduced in numbers. Of these misfortunes our author was an eye-witness. The work itself affords sufficient internal evidence of the date of its composition, for the author constantly refers to events which, he says, happened in his own time, and to incidents in his own life, of which he gives us the date. Thus on fol. 4 b he tells us of an interview which he had at Cairo with the physician Abu '1-Kasim al-'Askalani, in A. H. 568 = A. D. 1173. Again on fol. 61 a he mentions a visit which he paid in A. H. 569 A. D. 1174 to the monastery of Nahya. But the latest date given in the book is that of the death of Mark ibn al-Kanbar in the month of Amshir A.M. 924 = Jan-Feb., A. D. 1208. The composition of the work, therefore, may confidently be assigned to the first years of the thirteenth century of our era, when the writer had probably reached a considerable age. In spite of these distinct indications of date, however, M. Amelineau speaks as if the work had been composed at a much later period, ' for he begins his account of Abu Salih as follows : I must also

1 speak of an author who wrote in Arabic, and who has left us a history 'of the churches and monasteries of Egypt, written in the year 1054 of 1 the Martyrs, that is to say in the year 1338 of our era. He was called INTRODUCTION. xi

' ! Abou Selah (sic), and was an Armenian by nationality' (Gt ogr. p. xxiv). The fact is that M. Amelineau is here speaking of the date at which the in the National was made but his readers copy, now Library, ; may certainly be pardoned if they understand him to be giving the date of the composition of the work. It is quite true that the copy was finished = onBa'unah 2, A.M. io54 = Dhu '1-Ka'dah 8, A.H. 738 May 27, a.d. 1348, as the copyist himself informs us in his note at the end of the book. The title supplied by a later hand on fol. 1 b of the MS. describes

' the book as a history, containing an account of the districts and fiefs of

' Egypt.' As, however, the principal part of the work is taken up with an account of churches and monasteries, with regard to which it supplies us with much original information, I have furnished the new

' title of Churches and Monasteries of Egypt.' This new title is in accordance with the description of the MS. in the catalogue of the National Library, where it is called 'Histoire des eglises et des

' monasteres de l'Egypte.' The object of the author would seem to have been to collect information of all sorts about Egypt and the countries but he desired above all to describe neighbouring ; evidently the churches and monasteries, and to narrate incidents of ecclesiastical history. It is to those concerned with this last-named branch of study that the work of Abu Salih should be of special interest. The only work now existing in Arabic of a similar character to the present work is that portion of the Khitat of Al-Makrizi which contains an account of the Coptic churches and monasteries, and which is affixed as an appendix to this volume. Other Mahometan writers, however, besides Al-Makrizi, composed works, which are now lost, on the subject of the Christian monasteries, and the most celebrated of them was Ash- Shabushti, who is quoted by our author and also by Al-Kazwini, Yakut, Al-Makrizi, and others. Indeed, one of the most interesting features of the present work is the constant reference wr hich it makes to the relations between the Christians of Egypt and their Mahometan fellow-countrymen. These relations, naturally, varied in their character from time to time. There were periods of disturbance, marked by outrages committed by the stronger race upon the weaker, by riots, incendiarism, murders, or even b 2 xii CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. by systematic persecution, as in the reign of the caliph Al- Hakim. But there were also periods when the two races lived peacefully side by side, and the adherents of the two creeds were on the best of terms with one another. Sometimes the Muslim governors would authorize and even assist in the restoration of the churches, contrary as this was to the written law of Islam. Mahometans were in some places allowed to be present at the celebration of the Christian liturgy, although the stricter among the Copts regarded this as a profanation. One of the most wealthy and magnificent princes that have ever ruled Egypt, Khamarawaih, the son of Ahmad ibn Tulun, used to spend hours in silent admiration before the mosaics, representing the Virgin and Child, attended by Angels, and surrounded by the Twelve Apostles, in the Melkite church at the monastery of Al-Kusair, where, moreover, he built a loggia in order that he might sit there with his friends to enjoy the scenery, and, it must be confessed, also to quaff the good wine, prepared by the monks and fully appreciated by the laxer followers of the Arabian prophet. The present work in its existing form is an abridgment of the original, as the copyist himself informs us in his final note. He adds that his abridgment has been unsuccessfully carried out, and while we may admire his modesty, we must of necessity agree with him on this point. Nothing could be worse than the present form of the work, which resembles rather a collection of undigested notes than a deliberate composition in its finished shape. That feature of the book which it is most difficult to understand is the repetition of passages on the same subject, and sometimes almost in the same words. We meet with a short account of some place, which is then dropped, and the history proceeds to the discussion of other matters, only to recur some pages further on to the subject which it had apparently left. Thus, for instance, the passage on the Fayyum on fol. 18 is repeated in slightly different terms on fol. the of Busir 70 ; description Bana and other places on fol. occurs almost word for on fol. 68 17 again, word, ; and often after leaving a place, we are brought back to it and receive further information about it. There appears to be no arrangement or order in the work at all. We do not know what may have been the subjects which occupied the first score of leaves, now lost to us. It may, perhaps, be conjectured INTRODUCTION. xiii that they were filled with an account of the churches of Lower Egypt and Cairo, and of the monasteries of the Wadi Habib, which could hardly be neglected in such a work. Probably also we have lost part of the history of the Armenians in Egypt. The book, as we have it at present, opens with an account of the Armenian monastery and churches at Al-Basatin, a little to the south of

' Cairo. The latter buildings consisted of a Great Church,' or main building, to which a smaller church or chapel was attached after the manner of churches in Egypt. Sometimes these dependent churches were on the same floor as the principal edifice, and sometimes they formed an upper story to it. The mention of the Armenian monastery and churches leads our author to a digression on the recent history of the Armenians in Egypt, and on the misfortunes which had befallen them during his own lifetime. He then starts off upon quite a different matter, namely the revenues of of the rulers but this is a to the Coptic church and Egyptian ; subject which he recurs quite unexpectedly in one or two subsequent paragraphs. Then comes what is almost the only uninterrupted narrative or description in the book, that is the account of the so-called heretic Mark ibn al-Kanbar. Next follows a list of certain remarkable features of Egypt have lived in that but in the and of distinguished men who country ; middle of this is inserted a note on the churches of Busir Bana and other

places. Then, after a note on the boundaries of Egypt, comes an account of the city of Al-Fustat and its churches, which would seem to be fairly systematic and complete were it not for notes on king Aftutis, the revenues of Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar and the patriarch Demetrius, inserted in the middle of it without any apparent occasion for them. After describing the churches of Al-Fustat, our author proceeds up the Nile, noticing the churches and monasteries in the towns and villages, principally, of course, on the western bank he does not on in his more populous ; but go straight journey; he frequently dashes from south to north, and then again from north to south in a manner which would horrify us in a modern guide to Nile he still his trick of notes from time to the ; and keeps up inserting author time on perfectly irrelevant matters. After reaching Nubia, our returns again down the Nile for a short visit to certain places in Egypt over and then he takes us to which he had passed ; suddenly Abyssinia, xiv CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

shores of the to India, to North-Africa, and even to Spain, and the with the mention Atlantic, ending up with south-western Arabia, and of certain ancient cities, the foundation of which is referred to the remotest antiquity. The most valuable part of the present work is probably that part which the author based upon his own experience, and did not borrow from other writers. Much of the information with which he supplies us on the churches and monasteries of Egypt seems to be of this character. Thus he himself tells us that great part of his account of the Monastery a visit which of Nahya is derived from what he saw and heard during in of the he paid there for devotional purposes the year 569 Hegira. A young monk whom he met in the monastery on this occasion seems to have been questioned by him, and to have discoursed to him at some length on the history of the place. It may be taken for granted that our author had also visited in person the churches and monasteries of Cairo and its neighbourhood, and had made similar enquiries of the of these priests and monks as to the foundation and restoration buildings and other matters of interest concerning them. But how far our author travelled the Nile is doubtful and he had not himself had up ; perhaps seen the great White Monastery of Saint Sinuthius, opposite to Ikhmim. If he had been in that neighbourhood, he would surely also have spoken

' of the Red Monastery.' Similarly, it is probable that he had not paid a personal visit to the Monastery of Saint Anthony near the Red Sea, for if he had, he would have given a fuller account of the neighbouring Monastery of Saint Paul. Some of our author's statements with regard to these churches and monasteries which he had not himself seen, probably rest upon the testimony of some of his friends and acquaintances whom he questioned on the subject. Part, however, of what he tells us is borrowed from the Book of the Monasteries of Ash-Shabushti, a work in prose and verse much read at the time. The author, Abu '1-Husain 'Ali ibn Muhammad ash-Shabushti, was a Mahometan, and his work is a proof of the constant practice on the part of Muslims of resort- ing to the Christian monasteries, for the purpose of sauntering in their gardens, sitting in their galleries and loggias, and drinking their INTRODUCTION. xv wines. Besides Ash-Shabushti, other writers, such as Abu Bakr Muhammad al-Khalidi, Abu 'Uthman Sad al-Khalidi, and Abu 1-Faraj al-Isfahani, composed works on the monasteries in the course of the tenth century of our era, and Ibn Khallikan tells us that many other books were written in the Arabic language on the same subject. The work of Ash-Shabushti contained an account of all the monasteries of Al-'Irak, Al-Mausil, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Egypt, with all the poems composed on them, and a history of the events which concerned them. It is unfortunate that this work is lost, and only known to us through quotations made from it by other writers. Ash-Shabushti, who is said ' to have died at Al-Fustat or 'Old Cairo in A.H. 388 or 390, was private librarian and reader to the Fatimide caliph Al-'Aziz, and his agreeable manners and conversation led the sovereign to make him his constant boon-companion. It is in accordance with this character that he wrote of the monasteries chiefly as places for enjoying pleasant social intercourse and drinking wine. The surname Ash-Shabushti is difficult to

' explain, and Ibn Khallikan says that he repeatedly made researches to

' discover the origin of the surname, but that all his pains were fruitless, ' until he found that the chamberlain to the Dailamite prince Washmaghir

' ibn Ziyar was also called Ash-Shabushti, from which it appears that

' this is a Dailamite family name.' Part of our author's information with regard to the churches and monasteries of Egypt, and to the ecclesiastical history of that country, the of the Patriarchs in the ninth is derived from Biographies ; compiled century by Severus, bishop of Al-Ushmunain, and from the continuation of the Biographies by a later writer. The name of this work is well known to scholars, because Renaudot based upon it the greater part of his Historia Patriarcharam Alexandrinorum Jacobitantm ; but the work itself has never been published, either in the original Arabic or in a translation, although copies of it are to be found in European libraries. The publication of this work is much to be desired, as it affords a great mass of information on the ecclesiastical history of Egypt, since the schism of Dioscorus, which is not supplied from any other source and Renaudot has revealed to the learned ; although world part of its contents, there is a very large part only to be known xvi CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

It is from at present through a study of the original Arabic MSS. the these patriarchal biographies that our author borrows greater part of what he tells us on the subject of the history of the Coptic patriarchs, It is thence and part of what he says on the churches and monasteries. that he takes, for instance, his account of the visit of Al-Kasim to the White Monastery. The Patriarchal Biographies of Severus of Al-Ushmunain are based in their earlier portion, as he himself tells us, on Greek and Coptic documents preserved in the ancient Monastery of Saint Macarius in the Nitrian Valley. In the later part the compiler has inserted the works of certain writers almost without change, such as the biography of the and patriarch Kha'il or Michael by John the deacon, a contemporary of the series acquaintance of that patriarch, and a considerable portion written by George, archdeacon and secretary of the patriarch Simon. Many of our author's quotations are taken from the life of the patriarch Michael.

Another writer, to whom our author is considerably indebted, is better known to European readers, since his history was published in 1654-6 by Pococke, at Oxford. This is Said ibn al-Batrik, the Melkite patriarch of Alexandria, whose name was translated into Greek in the form Eutychius. He was a famous physician, as well as a priest, and composed a medical work in addition to his historical labours. His chief work, however, was that from which our author quotes, namely the Nazm al-JauJiar or Row of Jezvels, to which the European editor has given the Latin title of Eutychii Annates. It is a history, beginning with the earliest events narrated in the Bible, and continued down to the author's own time; but its most valuable part is the ecclesiastical chronicle of Egypt which it contains. The author was born at Al-Fustat in A.M. 263 = A. D. 877, became Melkite patriarch of Alexandria in A. H. 321 =A. D. 932, and-died in the latter city in A. H. 328 = A. D. 940. Our author makes more references than one to a writer whom he

' calls Mahbub ibn Kustantin al-Manbaji, that is Mahbub, son of Con-

' stantine, a native of the city of Manbaj.' This writer also bore the Greek name Agapius, corresponding to his Arabic appellation. He composed a history of the world in two parts, of which a copy of the first part is INTRODUCTION. xvii preserved at Oxford, and a copy of the second part, relating events from the Incarnation onwards, exists at Florence. The latter work, however* has been carried on by a continuator down to the year A. D. 1312, and this has occasioned the erroneous belief that Mahbub himself lived in the fourteenth century. Mahbub is a writer several times quoted by Al-Makin in the first part of his history. According to the Florentine MS., Mahbub or Agapius was a Jacobite or monophysite bishop of Manbaj. Use was also made in the work now edited of a History of the Councils, of the homilies of the patriarch Theophilus. and of a Guide to the Festivals. It seems that there were several of such Guides in the ecclesiastical literature of Egypt, and the Synaxaria were partly based upon them. Our author was, moreover, acquainted with some at least of the biblical books, and he quotes from the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Gospels. He would seem to have read the romance of Aura, which still exists in Arabic, and was probably translated from the Coptic. The curious work called the Book of Clement or Apocalypse of Peter is also quoted by our author at the end of his history. Copies of this work exist in Europe, as, for instance, in Paris and at Oxford. Our author does not tell us whence he derived his accounts of Nubia, of Abyssinia, and of the Indian Christians. Of Nubia he may have read in the work of 'Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Sula'im, quoted by Al-Makrizi. Of Abyssinia he may have learnt something from the envoys who frequently arrived in Egypt from that country, as bearers of despatches addressed to the Coptic patriarch. Of India he may

have received information from the mouths of Christian travellers ; or perhaps those Indian priests who at the end of the seventh century

' came to Egypt, to beg the Coptic patriarch to send out a bishop to their fellow-countrymen, may have left behind them some account of the state of Christianity in India. In those parts of his work which treat of the general history of Egypt, our author chiefly follows Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam and Al-Kindi. Copies of the Futuh Misr or History of the Conquest of Egypt by the Muslims, composed by the former of these two writers, exist in Paris.

C [II. 7.] xviii CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

The author, 'Abd ar-Rahman 'Abd Alldh ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, seems to have written at the end of the second century of the Hegira, but the work was continued by his disciples, and in the Paris MSS. goes down to the end of the third century. There is little legend in the work, which consists chiefly of pure history, and in this respect compares favourably with later histories, such as those of Al-Makrizi and As- Suyuti. Al-Kindi, who is called by Haji Khalfah the first Arab historian of Egypt, died in A. H. 247 = A. D. 860. or according to others in A. H. 350 = A. D. 961. The title of his great work was Khitat Misr or TopograpJiy and History of Misr, its object being to describe the foundation of the city of Misr and its subsequent alterations. This work seems to have been the basis and model of the later works named Khitat, such as that of Al-Makrizi. Two other works of Al-Kindi exist in manuscript at the British Museum, namely a History of the Governors of Egypt and a History of the Cadis. Al-Kindi also wrote a book called Fadd'il Misr or Excellences of Egypt, which is quoted by our author more than once. The full name of Al-Kindi is Abu 'Umar Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Kindi. Some of his works were continued by Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Ibrahim ibn Zulak, who died A. H. 387 = a. D. 997, and who is once quoted by our author, through a copyist's error, as An-Nasr ibn Zulak.

The great history of At-Tabari had also formed the subject of our author's studies, as he shows by his reference towards the end of the work.

Finally, our author, although a Christian, shows on more than one occasion that he is not unacquainted with the Koran itself, thus giving a fresh proof of the friendly feeling which existed between Christians and Muslims at the beginning of the thirteenth century of our era. From the account given above of the plan, or rather want of plan, of Abu Salih's work, it will be seen that it resembles a note-book which has not yet been put into order, rather than a formal composition. It is clear then that such a book could hardly be worth publication were it not that, in the words of the author, ' he has here collected information which is not to be found in the work of any other writer.' The present work is full of allusions to the history of Egypt, and INTRODUCTION. xix especially to the more important periods, such as the Mahometan conquest, the overthrow of the Omeyyad dynasty, the rule of Ahmad ibn Tulun and his son Khamarawaih, and the invasion by the Fatimide caliph Al-Mu'izz. The conquest of Egypt began in A.H. 18, when 'Amr ibn al-'Asi entered the country by the Syrian frontier, and subdued the imperial forces in a battle near Pelusium, where the Arab town of Al- Farama afterwards stood. 'Amr then advanced upon the fortress of Babylon, about ten miles to the south of Heliopolis, which was, after a long siege, ceded to him by the treachery of George son of Mennas, the

' Mukaukis.' After this it was necessary to attack the capital of the country, Alexandria, and here again serious resistance was offered to the Muslims. The siege of Alexandria lasted several months, so that the conquest of Egypt was not completed until the first of Muharram, select Alexandria A. H. 20 (a. D. 641). The conqueror did not, however, as his capital, but chose a spot easier of access from Mecca and Medina, namely the Fortress of Babylon and its neighbourhood, as the site of the new city which he founded and named Fustat Misr. From the time of the conquest, Egypt was governed by walis, themselves. appointed by the caliphs, who rarely visited the country The last of the Omeyyad caliphs, however, Marwan II, who reigned from A. H. 126 to 133, took refuge in Egypt from the armies of the new claimant to the caliphate, As-Saffah, the Abbaside. The Khorassanian troops of the latter pursued Marwan, who set fire to the city of Fustat Misr, and, having crossed the Nile, destroyed all the boats upon the river in order to stop the progress of the enemy. A vivid picture of this disastrous conflict is given us by an eye-witness, the contemporary biographer of the Coptic patriarch Michael, whose life is included in the compilation of Severus of Al-Ushmunain. The Khorassanians soon 'river Marwan as found boats with which to cross the ; and they pursued far as Busir Kuridus, near the entrance to the Fayyum, where they put him to death. His head was sent round the country as a proof of the extinction of the Omeyyad dynasty and the victory of the Abbasides. The Omeyyad caliphs had resided at Damascus, and the Abbasides established their court in A. D. 750 at the newly-erected city of Bagdad, so that Egypt was still ruled by walis, who, on account of their remote- c 2 xx CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. ness from the seat of the central government, soon became practically independent. One of the most celebrated governors of Egypt was Ahmad ibn Tulun, who ruled the country from A. H. 254 to 270. By this time the importance of the city of Fustat Misr had greatly diminished. The Hamras or quarters to the north of Al-Fustat, founded at the time of the Arab conquest, had fallen into decay, and the had become bare of houses but the of Marwan ground ; upon flight into Egypt, the Abbaside troops had settled upon it, and gave it its new name of Al-'Askar, and here the emirs who ruled Egypt resided. It was in this quarter, now called the quarter of Ibn Tulun, that Ahmad built his great mosque. He no longer, however, chose to reside here, but founded the new quarter of Al-KataY, which extended from the lowest spurs of the Mukattam hills to the mosque of Ibn Tulun. Neither Al-'Askar nor Al-KataT was destined to exist long. When the Fatimide caliph Al-M u'izz sent his general Jauhar to invade Egypt, the latter demolished the houses between Al-Fustat and his own new city of Cairo, which formed these two quarters, and they thus entirely disappeared, save for the Christian monasteries and churches, which, as Abu Salih tells us, still remained in the Hamras, as the antiquaries of Egypt continued to call the place. Between the fall of the Omeyyads and the appearance of the Fatimides, it would seem that the Christians of Egypt enjoyed greater prosperity than had been their lot during the later days of the fallen dynasty. Nor do the Fatimide caliphs appear to have treated their Christian subjects with harshness, with the notable exception of the fanatical Al-Hakim, the great persecutor of the Copts and Syrians. The work now published is full of instances of benevolence shown to the Copts, and practical favours conferred upon them by Mahometan rulers and officials. The work of Abu Salih was composed immediately after a great revolution in the affairs of Egypt, following the invasion of the Kurds and Ghuzz under the leadership of Shirkuh and Saladin. This invasion was due to the unscrupulous intrigues of Shawar as-Sa'di, the vizier of the last of the Fatimide caliphs, Al-'Adid li-dini 'Hah. Shawar had been in the service of a former vizier, As-Salih ibn Ruzzik, who INTRODUCTION. xxi appointed him wall of Upper Egypt, a post only second in importance the vizierate and in this Shawar had shown much to ; capacity ability, and gained great influence over the principal officials of the country. On the death of As-Salih, however, in the year 556 (a. d. 1161), his son and successor in the vizierate, Al-'Adil, jealous of Shawar's influence, deprived him of his office, in spite of the warnings against such a step which had been uttered by Ibn Ruzzik upon his death-bed. Shawar assembled a body of troops, marched to Cairo early in the year 558, and, on the flight of Al-'Adil, pursued him and put him to death, himself assuming the reins of government as vizier, under the nominal supremacy of the Fatimide caliph. In the month of Ramadan of the same year, however, a fresh aspirant to the vizierate appeared in the person of Ad-Dirgham, who, collecting a body of troops, forced Shawar to flee from Cairo, and put himself in his place. Thus, in the course of the year 5,58, the post of vizier was held by three statesmen in succession. Shawar, however, took the bold step of making his way to Syria, and applying for aid to Nur ad-Din, the most powerful Mahometan prince of his time. Accordingly, in the month of Jumada the First of the year 559, Nur ad-Din despatched a body of Turkish and Kurdish troops to Egypt under the command of a Kurdish general, then in his service, named Asad ad-Din Shirkuh. On the arrival of the army of Nur ad-Din, Dirgham was defeated and slain, and Shawar was restored to his post of vizier. He, however, now refused to perform his part of the contract, and would neither grant money nor land to the troops, nor send to Nur ad-Din that portion of the revenues of Egypt which he had promised. of and Upon this, the Kurdish general seized the city Bilbais, great part of the province of Ash-Sharkiyah. The unscrupulous vizier, however, instead of satisfying the just expectations of his auxiliaries, sent messengers to the natural enemy of his countrymen and his religion, the Frankish king of Jerusalem, offering him a sum of money if he would defend Egypt against Nur ad-Din and his troops, who, he said, had formed the design of conquering the valley of the Nile. Complying with this request, Amaury led a body of troops to Egypt and besieged Shirkuh at Bilbais during three months, but without success in spite of the low xxii CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. walls and the absence of a moat. Suddenly the news came that Nur ad- Din had captured Harim, and was marching upon Baniy^s. On hearing this, the Franks hastened homewards to defend their own country, after inducing the besieged general, who was ignorant of any cause for the Frank- ish retreat, to make terms by which he bound himself to leave Egypt also. In the year 562, Asad ad-Din Shirkuh was again sent to Egypt by Nur ad-Din, who was now filled with the desire of subduing that country, and had obtained from the Abbaside caliph Al-Mustadi a sanction for his enterprise, which made it a crusade with the object of extinguishing the rival dynasty of the Fatimides. Amaury, however, was again induced by a bribe to come to the rescue of Shawar and his nominal master Al-'Adid, and this time actually entered Cairo, while a sandstorm destroyed part of the army of Shirkuh, who was forced to retreat. In the same campaign, part of Amaury's army was defeated by Shirkuh, to but the latter and Alexandria submitted the Kurdish general ; finally retired from Egypt after a blockade which drove him to make terms with the king of the Franks. The third and final campaign of Shirkuh in Egypt began in the month of Rabf the First of the year 564. The Frankish king had soon broken off his alliance with the Fatimide caliph, on the plea of treachery on the part of the Egyptians, and making a sudden descent upon Al- Farama, the ancient Pelusium, he had put the inhabitants to the sword. Shawar now once more asked for help from Nur ad-Din, whom he had treated so unfaithfully, and Shirkuh with his nephew Yusuf ibn Ayyub Salah ad-Din, known to Europe as Saladin, led an army to the frontiers of Egypt, where they found the Frankish troops who had been detained there by a stratagem on the part of Shawar, and who now had to beat a hasty and disastrous retreat. Shirkuh now took possession of Egypt, under the sanction of the Fatimide caliph, whose nominal rule he for the present maintained. The assassination of Shawar, however, was a the Kurdish and Shirkuh natural and rapid consequence of occupation ;

became vizier in his place. After filling this post for two months and five days, Shirkuh died, and was succeeded in the vizierate by his nephew Saladin. The history of Saladin is well known to European readers. He was INTRODUCTION. xxiii the son of Ayyub the son of Shadi, a member of the noble Kurdish tribe of Rawadiyah, natives of Duwin, a town of Adharbaijan, and was born A. H. 532 at Takrit, where his father and uncle were in the service of Bihruz, who was acting as governor of the district under the Seljucide sultan Masud ibn Muhammad Ghiyath ad-Din. When Saladin became vizier of Egypt he at once began to give free rein to his ambition, and to display his capabilities for administration and for military activity. By his amiable demeanour and by promises of money, he won the emirs and the soldiery to his side, and was soon able to carry out the project of extinguishing the Fatimide dynasty, and once more proclaiming the Abbaside in Egypt as the true caliph. In the year 567, on the 2nd day of the month of Muharram, the Khatbah of Al-'Adid was stopped by command of Saladin, and the name of Al-Mustadi was put in its place. The last of the Fatimide caliphs, however, was seriously ill at the time of this change, and never knew that his high position had been lost. A few days later the deposed caliph was dead. Saladin now took possession of the palace of the caliphate. Treasures of fabulous value are said to have been found there, hoarded up by the rulers of so large a part of the Mahometan world during two centuries of of seven- religious and political supremacy. We read a carbuncle weighing teen dirhams or twelve mithkals, of a pearl of unequalled size, and of an emerald four finger's breadths in length and one in width. There was also a most valuable collection of books, in spite of the loss of a great portion of the library of the Fatimide caliphs in the reign of Al-Mustansir. Saladin, however, sold all the treasures of the palace. The rejoicings at Bagdad were great when the news came that the Abbaside caliph had been prayed for in the mosques of Egypt, and that the rival dynasty had the was decorated while the revolution been overthrown ; and city was publicly announced during seyeral days. Al-Mustadi sent robes of honour to Nur ad-Din, and to his general Saladin in Egypt. The effect of these political changes upon Egypt in general, and of upon the Copts in particular, had been striking. On the approach the Franks, Shawar ordered that Misr should be burnt, and that the inhabitants should remove to Cairo. The results of this burning of the from the famine already decaying city, which had suffered so greatly xxiv CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. and plague in the reign of Al-Mustansir, are noticed on several occasions in the work attributed to Abu Salih. Churches and monasteries were destroyed, although they were afterwards in part restored. When the Kurdish general Shirkuh had taken possession of Egypt in the name of Nur ad-Din, a considerable part of the land was taken away from its owners and settled upon the Kurds and Ghuzz, who formed the invader's army. In this way the Coptic church lost, for the time, all, or great part of, her landed property. The Ghuzz, who are so often mentioned in this work, and who seem to have formed perhaps the largest and most efficient contingent in the army of Shirkuh and Saladin, were a Turkish tribe whose original home ' lay ' beyond the river of Central Asia, in the region which the Romans called Transoxiana. They removed, however, into the regions of Meso- potamia in the first centuries of Islam, and in the twelfth century entered the service of Nur ad-Din. The theory of land tenure among the Muslims was that all the land had been placed by divine providence at the disposal of the prophet Mahomet and next of his successors the caliphs, who had the right to settle it upon whom they would. Acting upon this principle the prophet himself settled land in Syria upon Tamim ad-Dari, even before the conquest of the country. Some of the titles to landed property in Egypt at the time of our author, and later, were traced back to the earliest caliphs. In general a rent or land-tax was paid to the in return for such but in later times a of government property ; system military fiefs was introduced, similar to those held under the feudal system of western Europe. The present work supplies us with several instances of the rent paid for land held under the Fatimide caliphs. The philological features of the present work form a subject too large to be discussed in an introduction, and would be better treated in a grammar of the Middle Arabic language. It must be remembered, however, that the author is represented in the title as an Armenian, and that his acquaintance with Arabic was probably imperfect. It is also quite clear that the copyist was no more equal to the task of correctly transcribing, than to that of judiciously abbreviating the book. Apart from these considerations, the orthography and grammar of the MS. INTRODUCTION. xxv seem to be those of other MSS. of the same period. Among purely

I is written for for ]a orthographical faults sometimes

d [II. 7.]

CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES

OF EGYPT.

HISTORY Foiib

COMPOSED BY A THE SHAIKH ABU SALIH,

CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF THE DISTRICTS AND FIEFS OF EGYPT.

Armenian Monastery and Churches at Al-Basdttn.

1 Section I. Let us begin with the help and guidance of God. In this 2 our own time, namely at the beginning of the year ^6\ (Oct. 4, A. D. 11 68- Sept. 23, 1 169), took place the rebuilding of the [Armenian] church, in 3 one named after Saint James, which stands the district of Al-Basatin , of the districts of Egypt, in the neighbourhood of the hills. This was in the of *** who was an emir 4 and ruled on behalf of the Fol. 2 a days , , Egypt

1 Folio 1 b was not part of the original MS., of which, in reality, the first twenty-two leaves are wanting, but was added by its owner, who perhaps compiled it from mutilated fragments of some leaves now missing, to supply a beginning to the incomplete book. Hence the abruptness, obscurity, and inaccuracy of the text. See Preface. 2 This date must it is date the of the be rejected ; the of dispersion monks

(see fol. 2 a), not of the rebuilding of the church, which must have taken place many years before. 8 Or, in the singular, Al-Bustan. It lies a few miles to the south of Cairo, on the right or eastern bank of the Nile, near the Mukattam range, in a region of gardens, as the name implies. It is now included in the district of Badrashain, in the province of Jizah, and in 1885 had a population of 1,698; see Recensement de VEgypte, Cairo, 1885, tome ii. p. 65. (A. J. B.) 4 This first page of the MS. is so little trustworthy in its present form, that it can hardly be determined who this emir was. Since the events here related

b [IT. 7.] 2 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

or low. caliph. He was a friend to all Christians, whether high He 1 received a monthly revenue of ten dinars from the lands [of the 2 monastery] which he held in fief . He then undertook and carried out the reconstruction of this church of Saint James, which had been burnt 3 which could built for the , a down ; he it, above sanctuary lofty dome, he erected arches and vaults and he the be seen from afar ; ; completed whole by setting up the great doors. These, however, were afterwards he renewed them once more the same carried away, and accordingly ; thing happened a second time, and again he renewed the doors. He also completed the rebuilding of the [adjacent] church, which, however, he did not cause to be consecrated, nor was the liturgy celebrated in it. When the emir died, he was buried in this church. Now the monastery, is stands in the midst of and [in which this church contained,] gardens of and cornfields and it is reckoned the most plots vegetables ; among charming of resorts for pleasure. 4 When the Ghuzz and the Kurds took possession of the land of

if the date cannot really belong to the year a. h. 564, as they would seem to do here given could be relied upon, it may be suggested that this emir was the from a. h. Armenian Badr al-Jamali, who was vizier to the caliph Al-Mustansir 467 to 487 = a. d. 1075-1094, and was known as Amir al-Juyiish or emir of the troops, i. e. commander-in-chief. On account of his nationality and religion, Badr was a benefactor to the Christians of Egypt. Cf. Renaudot {Hist. Pair. in time pp. 459 and 508), who speaks of the Armenian settlement Egypt in the of Badr, mentioned by our author on fol. 47 b. 1 The dinar was a gold coin, slightly over 66 grs. in weight. 2 For remarks on the tenure of land in Egypt, see Introduction. 3 Askina or ILJx from the Greek is used in this The word (llx.ll I), o-k^,

' work in the sense of sanctuary,' and appears to be synonymous with HaikaJ who (J51Ia). Cf. Vansleb (Hisioire de TEglise d'AIexandrie, Paris, 1677, p. 50),

' speaks of la lampe de VAskeneow du Tabernacle, ce qui est le chceur inte'rieur.' The modern Copts, however, use the word to denote the baldakyn over the altar, such as may be seen, for example, in the church of Abu 's-Saifain at Old Cairo. See Butler, Ancient Coptic Churches, Oxford, 1884, vol. i. p. 114. (A. J. B.) 4 For remarks on the Kurdish conquest of Egypt, see Introduction. Our or more his and in author, probably copyist, by putting jii\ ihpill apposition ARMENIAN MONASTERY AND CHURCHES. 3

Egypt, in the month of Rabf the Second, in the year 564 (a. d. 1 168-9), calamities well known to all men overtook the Armenians 1 who were , 2 then settled in Their with the Egypt. patriarch , together Armenian monks, was driven away from that monastery of which we have been its door was blocked and those churches remained speaking ; up, empty, nor did any one venture to approach them. Al-Bustan [or Al-Basatin] was next allotted as a fief to the Fakih 3 Al-Baha \Ali, the Damascene, who set apart for the Armenians the church of the built over 4 the church of the Pure 5 in John Baptist, Lady , the Zawilah and here the dwelt the Harah ; patriarch during year 564 (a. d. 1 168-9). seems to consider them as two names of the same nation. Perhaps there is some confusion between dhi'^1 which would be and :i)l. Jili, correct, jl^ll 1 There were a large number of Armenians in Egypt during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 460 ff. Yakut, who died A. h. 596 = a. d. 1200, speaks of the Armenians among the mixed nationalities of which, as he says, the population of Egypt was in his time composed. See his Geogr.

Wdrterbuch ed. Wiistenfeld, iv. p. eoi. Under the later Fatimides, high offices were frequently held by Armenians in Egypt, of whom the most distinguished were Badr the vizier of Al-Mustansir his vizier to al-Jamali, ; son, Al-Afdal, Al-Amir and ad-Daulah the vizier of Al-Hafiz. ; Taj Bahrain, 2 The first patriarch or catholicus of the Armenians in Egypt was Gregory, who, towards the end of the eleventh century, was consecrated at Alexandria his the II. See Hist. Patr. by uncle catholicus, Gregory Renaudot, p. 461 ; and, for references to Armenian writers, Dr. Arsak Ter-Mikelian, Die armenische

Kirche in ihren Beziehungen zur byzantinischen, Leipsic, 1892, p. 84. 3 Afterwards chief professor in the college called Manazil al-'Izz at Fustat, and preacher in the same city; died a. h. 584 = a. d. 1188. See Ibn Shaddad, emoted by Ibn Khallikan, Biogr. Diet, trans. De Slane, iv. p. 421. 4 In Egypt churches are frequently built one over another, forming two stories. 9 A church of Al-Adhra (the Virgin) is still standing in the Harah Zuwailah, and is almost beyond question to be identified with the church mentioned in the text it bears marks of See vol. i. ; great antiquity. Butler, Coptic Churches, p. 273. (A. J. B.) 6 The quarter of Cairo called Harah Zawilah, and now Zuwailah, was founded b 2 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Fol. 2 b The Armenian Patriarch.

This had been of Itfih 1 and patriarch bishop ; afterwards, during the of Al-Hafiz 2 he the idea 3 of caliphate , conceived becoming patriarch by means of money which he gave in bribes. He made an agreement with Al-Hafiz, binding himself to give instruction in historical matters to the caliph, who granted him permission to appear at the palace of the caliph, together with the emirs and officers of state, on two days in the and 4 and also on to week, namely Monday Thursday , festivals, pay his respects, and to bring any new information that he had discovered. In this his visits to the Emerald Palace 5 the way, during , patriarch imparted to Al-Hafiz all the results of his researches among biographies

by the Berber tribe of Zawilah, who assisted Jauhar, the general of the Fatimide caliph Al-Mu'izz, in the conquest of Egypt, a. d. 969, and the foundation of Cairo.

The Bab Zawilah or Zuwailah is one of the principal gates of the city. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, Bulak, a. h. 1270 = a. d. 1854, vol. ii. p. t; Ibn Dukmak,

Kitdb al-Inti&df li-ivdsitah 'ikd al-amsdr, Bulak, a. h. I3io = a. d. 1893, v. p. rv. 1 Now called written see fol. 8 10 &c. The Atfih; generally ^sb\ ; b, a, 47 a, town lies south of Cairo, on the eastern bank, and is the Coptic KeTTlC^,,

the Greek it its to a district of the Aphroditopolis ; now gives name province of

and in had a of See Wort. i. ri 1 Jizah, 1885 population 2,731. Yakut, Geogr. p. ;

Amelineau, Geogr. de VEgypte a Ve'poque copte, p. 326. Under the Fatimide dynasty, and for some centuries after, Itfih was the capital of a province; see

fol. 8 b; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. irr. 2 Al-Hafiz Abu '1-Maimun 'Abd al-Majid, the eleventh of the Fatimide caliphs, reigned a. h. 524~544 = a. d. 1130-1149. See Introduction. 3 J-jJ should be J^". 4 These were the two days of public reception at the palace during the rule

of the Fatimide caliphs. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. tai. 5 The Emerald Palace or was of the Great Palace {ij*y\\ j* JvojJl) part (^aiJl y^All) of the Fatimide caliphs, which stood in the east of Cairo, and was founded by Jauhar in a. h. 358 = a. d. 969. The name was taken from the Emerald Gate

near which this i. fro palace stood. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, pp. f.f, F.o, ;

cf. p. TaP ff. THE ARMENIAN PATRIARCH. 5

and histories of wars, and chronicles and annals of former rulers, and carried on intercourse of this kind with Al-Hafiz until the death of the latter, which took place in the month of Jumada the Second, in the year 544 (A. D. 1 149). 1 Outside this and in its monastery , neighbourhood, beside the pottery, there stands a small church, which was rebuilt in the caliphate 2 of Al-Amir bi-ahkami 'llah, for the use of the Melkites, instead of the church which had stood in the Harah Zawilah but was wrecked in the same caliphate, and later, namely in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz, was transformed into a mosque. Abu '1-Barakat ibn al-Laith wrote verses on the subject of this church which was thus restored. It was built upon vaults, and beneath it there was a burying-place for the dead. On account of the ruin brought upon the Armenians by the Ghuzz and the Kurds, their patriarch left Egypt and departed to Jerusalem. 3 He took with him seventy-five sacred books, among which was a copy 1 of the Four Gospels with illuminations' in colours and gold, representing

1 The monastery of Al-Basatin, described above. 2 The tenth of the Fatimide caliphs, reigned a. h. 49 5-5 24= a. d. 1101-1130. See Introduction.

3 The books here spoken of were perhaps brought by Gregory (see note on 2 fol a) from Armenia to Egypt. See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. p. 461, and Ter-

Mikelian, Die armen. Kirche, &c. p. 84. 4 Probably the miniatures here spoken of were the work of Byzantine or Syrian artists. Native Armenian miniatures are not met with earlier than the

thirteenth century. See Strzygowski, Das Etschmiadzin Evangeliar, 1891, p. 87. A native writer of the eighth century says that all figure-painting in Armenia was the work of Greek artists of {ibid. p. 77 f.) The Armenian gospels Echmiadzin, of a. d. 989, have Syrian miniatures of an earlier date inserted at the beginning and end. An Armenian book of the Gospels now at San Lazzaro, Venice, and ascribed to the end of the tenth century, contains Byzantine miniatures repre-

senting scenes from the life of Christ {ibid. p. 76). Another Armenian IMS. of the same date contains a figure of the Evangelist Saint Luke with a Greek title

(a)aokas, proving the nationality of its designer (ibid. p. 77). A similar employment of Byzantine artists was customary in the neighbouring country of Georgia

(ibid. p. 78 ff.) 6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Fol. 3 a the miracles of Christ, to whom be glory ! The patriarch's journey the of Hatur 1 in the 888 of the was begun on Saturday 15th , year Martyrs, which is equivalent to the 23rd of Rabf the First of the year 568 (a.D. 1172)- It is said that he founded a monastery outside Jerusalem, containing a church, and named after Sharkis, who is the as and to this church he all the altar-vessels same Abu Sirjah ; brought he had in his and it is said that this and golden dinars that charge ; Armenian monastery contained twenty monks. The patriarch appointed act as his with the son of the a priest at Cairo to deputy , together priest, for the purpose of reciting prayers, and performing liturgies at the proper time, in the church of John the Baptist, which stands over the chapel of the Pure Lady in the Harah Zawilah, as it has already and at this church there assembled a of been related ; congregation Armenians, both men and women. As for the monastery which belongs to this people, together with its churches, it was deserted, and its door was fastened up. The news came that the patriarch had arrived at Jerusalem in safety, and that all the Christians had gone out to meet him with joy Fol. 3 b and gladness, chanting psalms, and carrying before him crosses and 2 lighted tapers, and censers with incense .

1 The Coptic Athor (bishops. So it was when Saint

' Athanasius visited the different parts of Egypt : He journeyed southwards, accompanied by some of the chief bishops and a great company, and with torches and candles and censers without number.' .qn

p. 296). On the approach of the officers of Theodosius to Lycopolis, the modern

' in manner : Let Asyut, the bishop John gave orders for their reception a similar A I THE RMEN A N PA TR1A R CH. 7

After this, the patriarch lived for a time in happiness, and then went to his rest in the mercy of God, to whom be praise, on the 5th of Tubah 1 in the last mentioned and he was buried in the , year ; monastery of James the son of Zebedee at Jerusalem. He was noble in character and beautiful in form he was of stature his face ; perfect ; was encircled his beard and which were and his was by whiskers, growing grey ; age nearly eighty years. 2 It is said that the Armenian bishop resident in Jerusalem, when he saw how men sought the society of this holy patriarch on account of his noble qualities, was filled with envy of him, and gave him poison to drink, which caused his death. But God did not show favour to this after the or him a life for he died bishop patriarch's death, grant happy ; only twenty days afterwards. God knows best in his hidden wisdom whether that which was told of the bishop was true. This patriarch of whom we have been speaking was a learned priest, understanding the divine books and able to expound them. But there were those who envied him on account of his men and so good reputation among ; they said that he was guilty of immoral conduct. This report arose among those who were most envious of his innocence. The author of this book declared as follows : I met Abu '1-Kasim Khalil, the physician and philosopher of Ascalon, who said that he had visited this patriarch one

all the clergy of the city and the chief men take the holy Gospel of the Saviour and crosses and censers, and go forth and bring them into the city with honour, singing hymns.' jut^pe neKXapoc THpq rtxnoXic jmrt rc^px^n xi jmneT- ^.rveXiort eTOY

1 The Coptic Tobi (TO)fil) = Dec. 27-Jan. 25. 2 At the Armenian synod of Hromkla in a. d. 1180 an Armenian bishop of Jerusalem appears among the signatories who subscribed to the creed of Nerses IV.

See Ter-Mikelian, Die armen. Kirche, &c. p. 104. 8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 day in his cell in the monastery of Az-Zuhri [and the result of the visit was that the patriarch was proved innocent].

Fol. 4 b The report was not spread until after he had departed to Syria and c had died there. It was at the house of Al-A azz Hasan ibn Salamah 2 called Al-Bakilani, who was chief cadi at Misr, that I the poor author of this book met Abu '1-Kasim, on Monday, the 27th of Shawwal, in the year 568 (a.d. 1173).

Fate of the Armenian Churches of Al-Basatin and Az-Zuhri.

Since no Armenian of authority was now left in Egypt, the Copts 3 acquired possession of this large and ancient church by a decree of our Lord the Sultan, through the intercession of the Shaikh ar-Ra'is Safi ad-Daulah ibn Abii '1-Ma'ali, known as Ibn Sharafi, his scribe. Then

its fittings were renewed by the emir Said ad-Daulah Bahram the steward of the Armenians. When the Shaikh Safi ad-Daulah had fully provided all that was needed for the construction of the church, through Fol. 5 a ibn 4 the priest Abu 1-Wafa Abi '1-Bashar, the patriarch Anba Mark , who was the seventy-third in the succession, came with Anba John,

1 Janan az-Zuhri or Bustan az-Zuhri was the name given to gardens between Fustat and Cairo, from the former owner of the land 'Abd al-Wahab ibn Musa az-Zuhri. The pool called Birkat an-Nasiriyah was excavated on their site in a. h. 721 by the Sultan Al-Malik an-Nasir Muhammad ibn Kala'un. See

ii. Al-Makrizi, Khitat, pp. 1 11= and 110. 2 The cadi of cadis or chief was the officer (isUiLll ^Us) judge principal legal under the Fatimide caliphs and their successors. This high dignitary was distinguished by riding on a grey mule, and he held his court in great state on Tuesday and Saturday at the Mosque of 'Amr. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat,

i. P.r f. Husn al-Muhddarah Akhbdr Misr wa p. ; As-Suyuti, ft H-Kdhirah,

ii. p. ir. . Al-A'azz became chief cadi in a. h. 549. 3 I. e. the church of Al-Basatin or Al-Bustan spoken of above, fol. 2. 4 Occupied the see from a.d. 1174 to 11 89. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 530-554. The title Anba transcribes the Coptic <.&&. and means 'father.' FATE OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCHES. 9

1 2 of Tamwaih and Anba Michael, of Bastah , and a bishop , bishop body and orthodox and the church was of priests and chief men laity ; the of Ba'unah 3 in the of the consecrated on Wednesday, 17th , year 892 Blameless and the was celebrated and the Martyrs ; liturgy people communicated at the hand of the patriarch. This church became a patriarchal church, and the liturgy was conducted henceforth by the 4 in Cairo. priests of the church of the Lady in the Harat ar-Rum Abu 5 Said ibn az-Zayyat provided for the painting of the apse of this church,

1 of and Hulwan see On west bank of Nile, a little south Cairo, opposite ;

and is in the Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. ivp. It is the Coptic T^.JUUULUOO'C, now district of Badrashain, province of Jizah; its population in 1885 was 794, besides does not he 454 Bedouins; AmeT, Geogr. p. 478. M. Amelineau explain why as and transcribes it as Tamouieh. writes the Arabic name abyja 2 Bastah is the classical Bubastis, Coptic nonf&Zagazig, in the of see province Kalyub ; AmeL, Geogr. p. 89. (A. J. B.) 3 The Coptic Paoni (TT.(JOm) = Way 26-June 24.

4 ' The Quarter of the Romans,' who came with the army of the caliph Al-Mu'izz, and took their part in the foundation of Cairo. The quarter was sometimes called the Lower Harat ar-Rum in distinction from the Upper or Inner

ii. a Ibn cit. v. rv. Harat ar-Rum. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. ; Dukmak, op. p.

' ' The word Rum was used very loosely by the Arabs, sometimes in the sense of of the Europeans generally, sometimes in that of subjects Byzantine empire. 6 The word jU. here and on fol. 31a evidently stands, by a clerical error, for written .U., which occurs on fol. 41 b, &c. If we suppose the book to have been from the sound of be mistaken for that of ; and an dictation,

112, &c. (A. J. B.) C [IT. 7-] io CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. which was executed by Abu '1-Fath ibn al-Akmas, known as Ibn al-Haufi the this work finished in painter ; and was the month of Amshir. in the year 892 of the Blameless Martyrs (Jan.- Feb., A. D. 1 177). There came a bishop from Armenia, accompanied by three priests, 1 and sent by the king of Armenia and the patriarch. He brought a despatch from both of them and two letters, one of which was from 2 Al-Malik Salah ad-Din , and the other from Al-Malik Saif ad-Din Abu Bakr 3 his to Al-Malik Taki ad-Din 4 and in , brother, , they recommended their letters that the bishop should be received with honour, and that the two churches of the Armenians in Az-Zuhri 5 and Al-Bustan 6 should be given up to him. So this bishop alighted at the church of John the

1 Leo or Levon II, the Rubenide, who reigned in Cilicia, not in Armenia proper; he ascended the throne in 1186. He was a great supporter of his own and of other Oriental churches. church See Alishan, Leon le Magn. p. 294, &c. 2 Saladin had left Egypt in a. h. 578, and was now in Syria, engaged in wars and see ii. sieges; Al-Makrizi, K/iitat, p. rrf, Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kdmil (ed. xi. rrl Ibn Sirah Saldh ad-Din Tornberg), p. ; Shaddad, (ed. Schultens), p. 38 ff. 3 Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Abi 'sh-Shukr Ayyub ibn Shadi ibn Marwan, surnamed Al-Malik al-'Adil Saif ad-Din, brother of Saladin, was born a. h. 530 = a. d. 1145 and died a. h. 615 = a. d. 1218. He acted as Saladin's viceroy for Egypt from a. h. 578 to 579, but was now ruling Aleppo, handed over to him by his brother. In a. h. 596 = a. d. 1200 he became sultan of Egypt. See Ibn

Did. iii. Ibn xi. Khallikan, Biogr. p. 235; al-Athir, Al-Kdmil, p. rri ; Ibn Sirah Saldh Shaddad, ad-Din, p. 56 ; As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah, ii. p. rw ff. 4 Taki ad-Din 'Umar, surnamed Al-Malik al-Muzaffar, nephew of Saladin, had been appointed viceroy of Egypt by the latter, when he summoned Al-Malik al-'Adil to in h. Syria a. 579 = a. d. 1183 (see fol. 6 b). Taki ad-Din was recalled to Syria towards the end of a. h. 582 = a. d. 1186, so that it must have been in this year that the envoys mentioned in the text arrived from Armenia. See Ibn

Khallikan, Biogr. Diet. ii. p. 391; Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kdmil, xi. p. rW, Ibn Shaddad,

Sirah Saldh Husn ii. Abu ad-Din, p. 64 ; As-Suyuti, al-Muhddarah, p. 50 ; '1-Fida,

Ann. Musi. iv. p. 60. 5 6 See fol. 3 b. See fol. 1 b. FATE OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCHES. n

1 in the Zawilah but the Fakih at-Tusi 2 did not allow Baptist Harah ; it, so the bishop compelled him, and stayed there several months, and then Fol. 5 b grew sick and died without carrying out his object. He was buried in the of the in Az-Zuhri God rest his soul. church Armenians ; may the of Olives 3 the first of the week of the On Sunday , day eighth 4 the ist of Barmudah in the d. 1 Holy Fast, and , year 892 (a. 177) of the Blameless Martyrs, a body of priests came to this church, with the laity, among whom were Abu Sa'id ibn Abu '1-Fadl ibn Fahd and ibn ibn Abi '1-Yaman ibn Zanbur and Abu '1-Yaman Abu '1-Faraj ; these two had with them a vessel containing pure oil with which they ate their and it within the but afterwards peas ; the)- placed church, find it. when they looked for it, they could not Then they suspected the Muslim guardians of the church, and allowed their servants to beat them so the went to the Fakih Baha ad-Din 5 \Ali the ; guardians Damascene in a fury, on account of what had happened to them, and ' in said to him : Shall the Muslims be struck in the face by Christians

' the month of Ramadan ? Then the fakih at once informed the sultan

this it him so he sent for Safi of occurrence, and greatly angered ; ad-Daulah Abu 1-Maali ibn Sharafi, his scribe, and blamed him for it, and demanded of him the decree which he had received, empowering Fol. 6 a the to take of this church and ill was Copts possession ; this, by luck, in the sleeve of his garment. So he brought it out and handed it to the sultan, who commanded that the door of the church should be barred, this order was at once and the door of the church was and obeyed ; barred. After a short time, however, the sultan commanded by a new decree that the church should be restored to the Copts, and its door should be opened to them, and they should pray in it, and that none should molest them in any way witho.ut cause. After this the condition of this church remained prosperous, and one of the priests of the church

1 2 See fol. 2 a. See fol. 6 a. 3 I.e. Palm-Sunday; otherwise called Hosanna Sunday. (A. J. B.) 4 The Coptic Pharmouthi (cb_pJULOYOl) = March 27-April 25. 5 See fol. 2 a. r C 2 12 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

of the Lady in the Harat ar-Rum was appointed to perform the prayers in it on Sundays and festivals. After this there came to the court from * Tus an Imamite Fakih, to whom Al-Bustan, of which we have spoken,

was allotted as a fief, after the death of Al-Fakih Ali of Damascus, in whose hands it had been. The new-comer began to oppress the Christians, and required gifts from them in the form of bribes, so far as his extended. Then he shut the two churches 2 after power , pillaging the Great Church, the door of which he barred with a plank until Friday the 13th of Sha'ban, A. H. 581 (a. D. 1185). There came an Armenian, who said that he was a friend of Taj ad-Daulah Bahram 3 the vizier to Hafiz Armenian, who had been Al-Imam ; and he said that he had buried money, belonging to Taj ad-Daulah the said vizier, 4 Fol. 6 b in the Great Church and that he had arrived in order to it , bring to but no heed was to It is light ; given him. said that he went on in his imaginings until the church was opened to him, and he dug in ' certain places. Then he said : The money has vanished from this

those it.' place ; who pillaged the church have taken Thus he complained that a wrong had been done. The church remained open for and he lived in it as as the held him he him, long fancy ; only placed 5 a second seal it on the of Al-Malik al-Muzaffar but upon part ; nothing was restored there.

1 In Khorassan. 2 I. e. the two adjacent churches of Al-Bustan. 5 Became vizier to the caliph Al-Hafiz in the month of Jumada the Second, a. h. 529 = a. d. 1 1 35. Being a Christian, he aroused the enmity of the Mahome- a tans, body of whom collected under Rudwan ibn al-Walakhshi (see fol. 9 a), and marched to Cairo with intentions hostile to Bahram, who fled in the month of

the a. h. d. i. Jumada First, 531 =a. 1137. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. row ; As-

Suyuti, op. cit. ii. p. loo; Ibn Khaldun, iv. p. vr; Abu '1-Fida, Ann. Musi. iii.

pp. 460, 468; Ibn al-Athir, xi. p. ri. For the subsequent fate of Taj ad-Daulah Bahram, see below, fol. 50 a. 4 I.e. at Al-Bustan. 6 I.e. Taki ad-Din (see fol. 5 a and note), then acting as viceroy of Egypt for Saladin. CHURCH OF IS TABL AL-FiL. 13

When Taki ad-Din went away to Syria \ in Sha'ban A. H. 582 al-\Adil 2 Abu Bakr came to the (A. D. 1 1 86), and Al-Malik Cairo, latter ordered that these two churches should be separated from one another on the 10th Ramadan in the same year, and the Copts and Armenians obtained possession of the two churches and began to make use of them. Now the time during which they had been closed was one year and fifteen days. So the Copts celebrated the liturgy 3 in the Great Church on the first day of the blessed month of Kuhiak 4 of the Blameless and after this the in the year 903 Martyrs ; Copts forbad the Armenians to make use of the Great Church. Then an chief took counsel on this matter and both assembly of the men ; the churches were restored to the possession of the Armenians.

Church of Istabl al-Fil.

5 The street called Istabl al-Fil lies near the two pools of

1 He was at first chagrined at being thus superseded in Egypt, but finally consented to remain in the service of Saladin, who made him prince of Hamah (Hamath). Taki ad-Din died a.h. 587 = a. d. 1191. Ibn Khallikan, Biogr. Diet.

ii. Ibn cit. xi. Ibn cit. and p. 391 ; al-Athir, op. p. rfo; Shaddad, op. pp. 67 213. 2 He came as guardian to his nephew Al-Malik al-'Aziz the son of Saladin, who superseded Taki ad-Din in a.h. 582 as viceroy of Egypt, and became sultan on the death of his father in a.h. 589. It was not until a.h. 596 = a. d. 1200 that Al-Malik al-'Adil became actual ruler of Egypt for the second time, succeeding his great-nephew Al-Malik al-Mansur, son of Al-Malik al-'Aziz, as sultan. Al-Makrizi,

cit. ii. rro Ibn cit. ii. Ibn cit. xii. 1 .r. op. p. ; Khallikan, op. p. 391 ; al-Athir, op. p. 3 = N6v. 26. The common Arabic The Coptic Khoiak (^OI

Karun which are Misr \ between and Cairo ; and in this street there is Fol. 7 a a church, which was long ago ruined, and became a yard, while its walls remained visible above the surface of the ground. Its site has been used for the erection of a mosque, which was built by Husain the Kurd, the son-in-law of Salah ibn Ruzzik 2 the vizier in , the caliphate of 3 Al-Imam Al-'Adid' li-dini 'llah .

of the Birkal al-Fil were much built upon and surrounded by lofty manzarahs ; and this became the finest quarter of Cairo. During the high Nile, when the

pool was full, the sultan used to be rowed about it at night, while the manzarahs

were illuminated. Ibn Sa'id says :

' See the Elephant's Pool, encircled by manzarahs, like lashes around the eye; It seems, when the eyes behold it, as if stars had been set around the moon.'

See at. ii. cf. 1 1 a Ibn cit. iv. 1 1 Al-Makrizi, op. p. mi, p. ; Dukmak, op. p. and

v. p. Fo.

1 ' ' The copyist has probably omitted the words J*fl!U and of the elephant

' after .Is the two of Karun.' There was but a Birkah ^j. fj&f. pools single Karun, which was, however, only separated by a dyke from the Birkat al-Fil.

' The passage should therefore doubtless read the two pools of Karun and of Al-Fil.' When the quarters of Al-'Askar and Al-Katai' were founded (see Introduction), the borders of the Birkah Karun were thickly inhabited, but were

ii. 1 . afterwards partly deserted. See Al-Makrizi, op. cit. p. 1 1 2 Abu '1-Gharat TalaY ibn Ruzzik, surnamed Al-Malik as-Salih. Salah must be an error. was born in a.h. = a. d. iioi was vizier to the He 495 ; appointed caliph Al-Fa'iz in a.h. 549=a.d. 1154; and on the accession of Al-'Adid he remained vizier to the new caliph, who married his daughter. He died in Ramadan a.h. 556=a.d. 1161. 3 The fourteenth and last of the Fatimide caliphs; reigned a.h. 555-567 = A.D. U60-II71. REVENUES OF THE COPTIC CHURCH. 15

Revenues of the Coptic Church.

The sum of the revenues of the churches and monasteries in the two regions of the North and South, according to the estimate made of them for the year 575 (a.d. 1180), was 2,923 dinars in ready money, and 2 in while the landed amounted 4,826 ardabs of corn produce ; property to 915 feddans. This property came into the hands of the Christians to the lunar and revenue through gifts from the Fatimide caliphs down year 569 (a.d. 1174); but it was taken away from them and given to the Muslims, so that no part of it was left in the possession of the this under the of the Ghuzz and Kurds at Christians ; was dynasty of Al-Mustadi' bi-amri 'llah 2 and under the the end of the caliphate , administration of Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub the Kurd. of The Southern Region : 467 dinars, and the amount produce which has been stated, and 906 feddans. The Northern Region : 2,445 dinars and nine feddans.

Revenues of Egypt.

It is fitting to state in this book the number of districts and 3 villages included in the provinces under the dynasty . and also the Fol. 7 b their fiefs the of Alexandria revenues derived from ; not reckoning city

1 The ardab is equivalent to nearly five bushels, and the feddan to about one acre, eight poles. 2 Proclaimed caliph at Bagdad in the month of Rabi' the Second, a.h. 566 = a.d. 1 170, upon the death of his father Al-Mustanjid bi-'llah. He was the thirty- in third of the Abbaside caliphs, and was proclaimed caliph by Saladin at Cairo the month of Muharram a.h. 567=a.d. 1171, during the lifetime of the last Fatimide caliph Al-'Adid. Al-Mustadi' died in the month of Dhu '1-Ka'dah a.h. 575, in the fortieth year of his age, and was succeeded by his son An-Nasir li-dini iii. iv. Abu 'llah. See Abu '1-Fida, Ann. Musi. p. 630, p. 38 ; '1-Faraj,

Tdrikh ad-Duwal f. Ibn cit. xii. Mukhtasar (ed. Pococke), p. 406 ; al-Athir, op.

1 iv. p. ft* ff.; Ibn Shaddad, op. cit. p. 38; Ibn Khaldun, p. m. 3 I.e. of the Fatimides. 1 6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. nor the frontier-district of Damietta nor Tinnis 1 nor Kift 2 nor Nakadah 3 4 nor the Lake of Al-Habash outside Misr the sum total revenue , ; of the

1 Tinnis, the Coptic eeitrtCCI, to which a foundation in remote antiquity was ascribed, stood on an island in Lake Manzalah, between Damietta and

Al-Farama, where the mound called Tall Tinnis is still existing. It was famous for fish, of which seventy-nine kinds were said to be caught there, and for fine, variegated linen and other tissues, sometimes brocaded with gold. Cf. below, fol. and see Ibn Haukal 1 . 1 Wort. i. aat 19 b, (ed. De Goeje), p. ; Yakut, Geogr. p. ;

Ibn cit. v. vAf. Al-Idrisi i. Dukmak, op. p. ; (trans, by Jaubert), 320; Al-Makrizi,

cit. i. 1 vi~ 1 a r f. op. pp. ; Ame'lineau, Giogr. p. 507 2 The classical Coptos and the Coptic KC|X- See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ior Al-Idrisi cit. iv.p. ; (ed. Rome) [p. 48]; Al-Makrizi, op. p. rrr f; Ibn Dukmak, op. cit. v. p. rr f. Kift or Kubt is now in the district of Kus, province of Kana, and in contained, 1885, 2,544 inhabitants. See Ame'lineau, Geogr. p. 213 ff. 3 Now in the district of of Kana and in had a Kus, province ; 1885 population

f See Recensement de ii. Ibn v. rr. 4)534- Vfigypte, p. 258 ; Dukmak, p. 4 I.e. Lake of the Abyssinians. This was a tract of low ground, more than 1,000 acres in extent, between Fustat and Cairo, approaching on one side the cemetery of Al-Karafah, and was inundated during the rise of the Nile, from which it was only separated by a dyke on its western side. At other times it was one of the most resorts near charming Cairo, being of extreme fertility, and producing flax and other crops. Beside it were gardens also called Al-Habash or Ard Habash. The name was, perhaps, earlier than the Mahometan conquest, and was a translation of the of Coptic eo

Tala i' ibn Ruzzik it also bore the of Birkat ; names al-Maghafir, Birkah Himyar,

Istabl Kurrah, and Istabl Kamish. Ibn Sa'id sings :

is),L* * i &-> Li J^xj (jbjll J^b I4J L jjJl ijZ*^

JA* d*9 > iLL*** dli-o li &$lj. Jo.aJlj si}^*

oJ^a. * a >j. [$}y>- d^isj u^]j ^^ Wy^ U^J REVENUES OF EGYPT. 17 from those places being 60,000 dinars. From 2,186 districts and village- districts, that is, 1,276 districts and 890 villages, came 3,061,000 dinars.

Total No. of Places.

Northern Egypt

Provinces : Ash-Sharkiyah Al-Murtahiyah Ad-Dakahliyah Al-Abwaniyah Jazirah Kusaniya Al-Gharbiyah As-Samannudiyah Al-Manufiyatain Fuwah and Al-Muzahamiyatain An-Nastarawiyah Rosetta, Al-Jadidiyah and Adku Jazirah Bani Nasr Al-Buhairah Hauf Ramsis

Total i8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Total

Fol. 8 b Southern Egypt

Provinces

Al-Jiziyah Al-Itfihiyah Al-Busiriyah Al-Fayyumiyah Al-Bahnasa'iyah Al-Ushmiinain x Pol. 9 a As-Suyutiyah

Total REVENUES OF EGYPT. 19

1 This revenue was drawn in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir and in 2 the days of Al-Kahhal the cadi. 3 Afterwards, in the time of Al-Afdal his son, in the caliphate of Al-Amir, one dinar and a third was imposed as a poll-tax. 4 in the of In the vizierate of Rudwan ibn Walakhshi , caliphate dinars. Al-Hafiz, [this tax was raised to] two

and : Al-Itf Al-Balma- Alexandria, Al-Jiziyah ; Upper Egypt ihiyah, Al-Fayyum, sa'iyah, Al-Ushmunain, Al-Usyutiyah, Al-Ikhmimiyah, Al-Kusiyah. The present principal divisions of Egypt, with the number of inhabited centres, Suez are: Cairo (1), Alexandria (56), Damietta (5), Rosetta (9), Port Said (28),

(8), Al-'Arish (6), Kusair (2), Al-Buhairah (1,882), Ash-Sharkiyah (i,868), Ad-Dakahliyah (1,147), Al-Gharbiyah(i,8i7), Al-Kalyubiyah (717), Al-Manftfiyah (603), Al-Asyutiyah (436), Bani Suwaif (423), Al-Fayyum (567), Al-Jiziyah (369), de Minyah (734), Isna (627), Jirjah (870), Kana (898). See Recensement I'Egyple, ii. pp. x and xi. 1 The eighth of the Fatimide caliphs; reigned from a.h. 427 = a.d. 1035 to a.h. 487=a.d. 1094. 2 This refers to Ibn al-Kahhal, the Kadi '1-Kudat or chief cadi in the last years of Al-Mustansir's reign. It was, however, Badr al-Jamali, the Armenian slave, who became vizier to Al-Mustansir in a.h. 467 = a.d. 1075, who was the father of Al-Afdal Shahanshah mentioned in the next paragraph. 3 After the death of Badr in a.h. 487 = a. d. 1094, the soldiery chose his son Al-Afdal Shahanshah as his successor in the vizierate. When Al-Mustansir died

in the same year, Al-Afdal remained in his post, and continued to act as vizier

during the reign of Al-Musta'li, and after the accession of Al-Amir (in a.h. 495 = a.d. noi), who eventually caused him to be put to death in a.h. 5I9 = a.d. 1125.

Treasures of immense value were found in his house. See Al-Makrizi, op. cit.

i. roi Ibn cit. i. Ibn iv. 11 f. p. ; Khallikan, op. p. 612 ; Khaldun, p. 4 Successor in the vizierate of Taj ad-Daulah Bahram, the Armenian, whom he deposed from his office by force in a.h. 531. Rudwan was an oppressor of the Christians. In a.h. 533, on account of intrigues against him, Rudwan fled to Syria and returned with an army, but being attacked by the troops of the caliph, he fled to Upper Egypt, where he was captured. He was imprisoned at Cairo, but escaped in a.h. 442, and made a fresh attempt to seize the power of which he d 2 20 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Accoimt of Mark ibn al-Kanbar.

In the northern region, Mark ad-Darir (the Blind) ibn Mauhub, called Ibn al-Kanbar 1 was made the of 2 , priest by bishop Damietta , and he celebrated the liturgy and communicated the Holy Mysteries to the people. Then the report of him reached the Father and 3 in of Patriarch Anba John , the seventy-second the order succession, who condemned him, and suspended him and excommunicated him. After that, Ibn al-Kanbar set his mind to the composition of commentaries on the books of the church and others, according to the inventions of his own mind together with the learning that he possessed. Next he taught the people that a man who does not confess his sins to a confessor, and perform penance for his sins, cannot lawfully receive the Eucharist, and that if such a man dies without confession to the he dies in his sins and to hell and the priest, goes ; accordingly people began to confess to Ibn al-Kanbar and neglected the practice of

been but he was resisted slain. See cit. i. had deprived, and Al-Makrizi, op. p. rov ;

cit. ii. i oo Ibn iv. vr Ibn cit. ii. 1 As-Suyuti, op. p. ; Khaldun, p. ; Khallikan, op. p. 79. 1 Cf. Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 550-554; Al-Makrizi, op. cit. ii. p. pit. The doctrines of Mark ibn al-Kanbar and the existence of his large body of followers seem to confirm the opinion that there have always been some among the Copts, since the Council of Chalcedon, who have refused to join in the rejection of that Council, and in the acceptance of the schismatic and heretical teaching of Dioscorus

and his disciples. The chief points of agreement with Catholic belief and practice in the teaching of Ibn al-Kanbar, brought out by Abu Salih, are the doctrine of the two natures and wills of Christ, the doctrine with regard to confession, the reservation of the sacrament, the abrogation of peculiar fasts, the denial of the necessity of circumcision and of the shaving of the head. Some other parts of Ibn al-Kanbar' s teaching were probably misunderstood, and it must be remembered that we have only his enemies' account of the matter. 2 a mistake for Damsis see fol. a. The Probably ; below, 14 Coptic bishop of Damietta had the rank of metropolitan. 3 Occupied the see from a.d. 1 147 to 1167. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair.

PP- 5I7-53 - ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. %\

the censer 1 and all inclined to and listened confession over ; they him, to his words. A number of the Samaritans also assembled to meet him, and he disputed with them, and showed them that he who came and he converted into the world was the Messiah who was expected ; 2 many of them. He also allowed the people to let their hair grow long rol. 9 b

1 It seems strange that Ibn al-Kanbar's insistence on the need of confession before communion should have been received as a novel and heretical doctrine ; the of the but the fact is that the practice, though enjoined by canons church, had fallen into abeyance. See Renaudot, Perpituite, lib. 3, cap. 5, where it is shown that the doctrine was recognized by the church of Egypt. An example of confession in the eighth century is given also in Hist. Pair. p. 219 f. Renaudot with adds that John, the seventy-second patriarch, is credited by Coptic writers having abrogated the rule of confession. The reason alleged for John's action in cases is that the people disliked the practice of confession, and were even some driven out of the pale of the church by the severity of the penance imposed. of sinfulness and John substituted for the ancient practice a general admission ' : look prayer for forgiveness, something in these terms O Lord God, upon me, a miserable sinner. I sorrow in that I have sinned against thee, and humbly which crave thy divine pardon.' This confession was made over a burning censer, incense led the the priest waved before the face of the penitent. This use of ignorant to imagine that the ascending smoke had virtue to waft away their guilt, arose of and, as the superstition fixed its roots more deeply, the custom flinging the sin of the grains of incense on a brazier in the house in atonement for moment. Confession over the censer passed not only to the Abyssinians (see the the and the Malabar below, fol. 105 b), but also to Nestorians, Armenians, Christians. In Ethiopia the error had died out when the Jesuits first entered the country. Among the Nestorians there was no confession in the sixteenth century, and Antonio de Gouvea, who visited Malabar about 1600, says that the Christians former there had the greatest abhorrence of the sacrament of penance, and the custom of confessing over the censer was then almost abandoned. It seems, however, that in all these Oriental churches the practice of particular confession was ultimately restored. See Denzinger, Ritus Orientalium, i. pp. 105-108; Butler,

Coptic Churches, ii. p. 298. (A. J. B.) 2 The objection was to the practice then general in Egypt, as it still is among the conservative classes in that country, to shave off either all the hair of the 22 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. as forbad circumcision 1 that cir- the Melkites do ; and he , saying 2 to the and Hanifs and that it is not lawful cumcision belongs Jews , for Christians to resemble the Jews or the Hanifs in any of their traditions which are in force among them in our time. For this doctrine he set up many proofs. He forbad the practice of burning 3 frankincense 4 because sandarach in the churches, and allowed only ; this was offered to the Lord with the gold and the myrrh, and therefore

head, or all with the exception of a small tuft at the crown. We are told, however of a circular tonsure. Whether (below on fol. 15 a), that Ibn al-Kanbar approved this latter notice refers to the clergy does not appear, but it seems that Ibn al-Kustal, whose views on the shaving of the head seem to have resembled those in the of Ibn al-Kanbar, particularly objected to the shaving of the whole head case of the priests; see fol. 20 a. 1 Circumcision on the eighth day is customary, but not obligatory; on the other hand, the Coptic church forbids circumcision after baptism. In the Abyssinian a is church circumcision is a necessary rite, and, according to Damianus Goes, performed on infants on the day of their baptism, viz. the seventh day, by which

the eighth day is doubtless to be understood. (A. J. B.) 2 He uses the word ' Hanifs ' instead of ' Muslims/ because the latter claimed

that in practising circumcision they were following the tradition not only of the Jews, but of the ancient, orthodox religion to which Abraham belonged, and to which the Jews had added. It was this ancient religion which Mahomet professed

to restore. The passages of the Koran are well known :

(Sural an-Nahl, v. 124; cf.v. 121, Sural al-Fajr, v. 162, and Silrat AVT?nrdn,\. 89).

' Then we taught thee by inspiration to follow the religion of Abraham, who was a Hanif; he was not of the polytheists.' 3 This is a resinous substance, the gum of a coniferous tree, Callilris quadri- valvis, wT hich flourishes in north-western Africa, particularly in the Atlas range.

(A. J. B.) 4 For other substances which were burnt in the churches by Copts and Abyssinians see below, fol. 105 b. See also Vansleb, Hist, de I'Eglise d'A/ex.

p. 60, where sandarach, frankincense, aloes, and giavi are named. ACCOUNT OF. MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 23

it is not right that anything else should be burnt in the church. He

' said to those that confessed to him : I will bear part of your sins for will God you, and part be forgiven by through your doing penance ; for he who receives a penance for his sin in this world will not be compelled by God to do a second penance in the next world.' His ' followers who confessed to him called him ' Our Father the Director ' Teacher When he in the churches a (or '). stopped large assembly came together to meet him, and he raised many dissensions, such as had not been known in the church. After a time the bishops in the North [of Egypt] were informed of these matters, and laid information of them before the Father and 1 the in the order of who Patriarch Anba Mark , seventy-third succession, reprimanded him on account of them, and wrote letters to him in which he warned him and forbad him and exhorted him with exhortations of consolation, but he would not listen to him or return to him. Necessity therefore compelled the patriarch to send to summon him to his 2 presence, so Ibn al-Kanbar went up to him to the Cell at the 3 church of Al-Mu'allakah in Misr. There the patriarch assembled to Fol. 10 a a of and and chief men 4 meet him synod consisting bishops priests ,

l and said to him : Know that he who breaks any of the commandments

of the church, and bids the people act in contradiction to it, lies under the penalties of the law. Why then dost thou not return from thy

1 Occupied the see from a. d. 1167 to 11 89. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. PP- 530-554- n 2 should the The Cell (i3^, from the Greek k

3 For a description of the patriarchal church of the Virgin, called Al-Miialldkah or 'the Hanging Church,' see Butler, Coptic Churches, i. p. 216. The name was given to any structure built upon arcades.

* The Arabic I is derived from the Greek ^^i, , plural ili-U, apxav, through the Coptic, which employs the word to denote the chief men or official class. 24 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

ways?' Many things took place with regard to him, the end of which was that he was ordered to go under guard with deputies of the to the of Anba Antunah 1 near Itfih this in patriarch monastery ; was the month of Amshir in the of the Blameless year 890 Martyrs ; his moreover [it was ordered] that he and brethren should shave the hair of their heads. Ibn al-Kanbar soon began to suffer from the in he so he circumstances which was placed ; and addressed the patriarch, and entered into communication with him by means of his mother and his brethren and his uncle, who did not cease to kiss the patriarch's hands and feet, and by means of the prayers of the chief and at last the their men ; patriarch granted prayers and wrote to the superior of the monastery bidding him lead that Mark to the place in which the body of Saint Anthony lay, and require him to swear upon it and upon the Gospel of John that he would not again do any of the things that he had done, and then allow him to go free. So the superior 2 did this and released Mark, who returned to his own country on those conditions.

The said Mark [ibn al-Kanbar] went from the monastery of Fol. 10 b Saint to the Rif 3 after been made to swear the Anthony , having upon holy Gospel and upon the said body of our Father Anthony, and after having been made to promise that he would not return to his former

1 This is the near see well-known monastery of Saint Anthony the Red Sea ;

' below, fol. 54 ff. It is called near Itfih,' because the road thither from the Nile started from that town, in respect to which the monastery lies a little to the south-east, at a distance of sixty miles. 2 I.e. Damsis or its neighbourhood; see fol. 14. 3 as i__ There has been some dispute to the meaning of the Arabic word ->,, which generally means the country lying upon the banks of a river, or upon the sea-shore see verb. In the to Delta ; Dozy, ad Egypt word was used denote the or Lower see fol. 21a. M. in his curious Egypt ; below, Amelineau, somewhat article upon the name i__ajJl, speaks as if it were known from two sources only: the Arabic Synaxarium, the authority of which he rejects, and the Ethiopic Chronicle of John of Niciu, upon the authority of which he peremptorily decides

that the is ! Rif synonymous with Upper Egypt see Ge'ogr. p. 403 f. ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 25

the canons of the church and the rules of the law ways or transgress ; yet this said Mark, when he arrived in his own country, returned to his former ways and did even worse than before. For there gathered together to him a very large body of the ignorant from the river-banks the five thousand men and and the villages and towns, nearly ; reports of him arrived as far as Kalyub \ Among these men were some who obeyed him and attached themselves to him, and bound themselves ordered for each of them so that some to do what he appointed and ; of them bound themselves to bring him part of their money and of the and a tithe of their income and fruit of their gardens and vineyards, ; they brought it to him, so that he increased in wealth beyond his former state. Then the patriarch wrote to him to make known to him what would happen to him if he did not repent, and to terrify him and warn him of that which would befall him if he went on in his pride, and in his that he had sworn breaking of his oath and departure from which ; and the patriarch exhorted him and warned him of the end of his perjury and his heresy and his excommunication, namely, that the end of these things is perdition. Mark ibn al-Kanbar would not, however, listen to the patriarch's letters, but behaved insolently and increased in pride and perversity, and would not be converted. So the patriarch wrote letters to the bishops of Northern Egypt containing an account Fol. a of the case from the beginning to the end, and a summary of the canons 11 by which such a man is condemned to excommunication on the severest terms if he persists in his pride and cleaves to the error of his impiety; and bidding each of the bishops, after giving an account of whatever he had ascertained of the man, write in his own handwriting to the effect that it was not lawful for Mark to do as he had dared to do. So each of the bishops wrote his own account of Mark's opposition to

1 About ten miles to the north of Cairo. It is the Coptic K

and for the numerous which adorned it it was one of the richest fertility, gardens ;

in Ibn cit. v. Fv f. spots Egypt. Dukmak, op. p. ; Amel., Geogr. p. 390.

e [ii. 7-] 26 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

the law of his own church, and added that it was not right for him to do what he had dared to do, and that he could not be allowed to follow the fancies of his own mind as he had done in transgression of the law and each confirmed the sentence of ; bishop excommunication upon him. After this, Mark ibn al-Kanbar was not satisfied with what he had done, and with having broken the oath which he had sworn upon the Gospel and upon the body of the great Saint Anthony in the church of God, or with having resisted the law, and refused to accept that which was binding upon him according to the law of the Christians of whom he was one but he even wrote an address and submitted it to ; the sultan. The purport of his address was that he desired that an should be called to meet him in the of the assembly presence patriarch ; but he embellished his account of what had passed, and said whatever it pleased him to say, and asked for protection. 1 The Kadi '1-Fadil ibn 'Ali al-Baisani wrote an answer to his letter, of which the following is a copy : 'Thou art a man of great distinction. But the patriarch of the Christians has made up a story of a man who is innocent of having departed from the truth of his religion and says that he has departed in from it, and has brought a strange doctrine, by which the word of his people is cut short, and the traditions generally held by his co-religionists are broken.

1 Thou hast been banished once, and hast ventured to return from banishment without permission. Go forth, therefore, as a private person without rank or jurisdiction, and do not assume any pre-eminence over the Christians or jurisdiction among them, until a lawful assembly be

1 Abu 'Ali 'Abd ar-Rahim al-Lakhmi al-'Askalani, generally known as Al-Kadi '1-Fadil, was vizier to Saladin, with whom he stood high in favour. He was famous for his literary style, especially in his letters, of which we here have a specimen. He was born at Ascalon in a. h. 529 = a. d. i 135, and died a. h. 596 = a.d. 1200. His father was for a time cadi at Baisan on the Jordan near Tiberias, and for this reason the family all received the surname of Baisani. Ibn Khallikan, op. cit. ii. p. in. ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 27 called to meet thee which shall decide whether thou shalt be of them, in which case thou shalt not oppose them, or whether thou shalt depart from them, in which case thou wilt wander away from the faithful and followers of the book, and it will be necessary for thee to become a Muslim, for thou wilt be neither Jew nor Christian.' This is the end. After Mark ibn al-Kanbar had remained in his own district per- sisting in his former ways, then he appeared at the Cell at the church of e Al-Mu allakah in Misr, and waited upon the patriarch, and confessed his sin, and asked for pardon, which was granted to him. Prayers were offered, and the liturgy was said : and when Mark went forward to communicate of the holy mysteries, the patriarch made him swear, in the presence of a body of bishops and priests, that he would not again do what he had been forbidden to do. So he swore a binding oath, and made firm promises, before receiving the holy mysteries. Then he returned to his own district, and had not spent a single day there before he returned to his former nor did he his second taken ways ; keep oath, before the altar of God in the presence of the bishops and priests and chief men and deacons and a congregation of the orthodox laity. Thus it became evident that he did not fear God or respect men, since he had Pol. 12 a been allowed to receive the eucharist in the sanctuary of God. He now gave permission to those who followed his opinions to communicate 1 2 festival of the which is on the of early on the Forty Martyrs , 13th takes the fast of the Barmahat, and place during Holy Forty Days ; 3 and on this day he forbad communion of the wine . He forbad also

1 As it is well known, the Copts celebrate the liturgy, of course fasting, at three o'clock in the afternoon during the fast' of the forty days of Lent, except on Saturday and Sunday. It is not stated here that Ibn al-Kanbar allowed the liturgy to be celebrated early on one of these days, but that he allowed an early communion, doubtless with the reserved sacrament, see fol. 15 b. See Vansleb, Hist, de I'Eglise d'A/ex. p. 73. 2 The 13th of Barmahat would be equivalent to the 9th of March, whereas the Roman calendar keeps the festival of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste on the 10th of March.

3 Because the wine was not reserved, see fol. 15 b. e 2 2S CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 the giving of extreme unction by relations to one another . These things were in addition to the other matters which were known of him before. Then he began to ride about, accompanied by a body of his followers and he travelled the Rif in state like a ; through wall, and banquets were prepared for him and his companions. The end of this was that he went over to the sect of the Melkites, and confessed the Two Natures and the Two Wills 2 and the Melkites received him. ; 3 Thus he threw off the faith of Severus and Dioscorus , our fathers the

1 is an I find the ritual This abuse of which do not mention elsewhere ; Coptic requires that seven priests shall take part in the administration of the sacrament of extreme unction, and that each of them shall recite a passage of scripture and say certain prayers over the sick man. 2 Our author, though an Armenian, if the title of the MS. be correct, here speaks as if he fully accepted the creed of the Coptic monophysites. To explain this we must remember that many of the Armenians were monophysites and monothelites as well as the Copts, and that when the Armenian catholicus, Gregory II, in the course of his travels, arrived in Egypt about a.d. 1080, the representatives of these two religious communities made a confession of common faith in the One Nature of Christ. 'On that day,' says Michael, bishop of Tinnis, 'it was made known to all that Copts, Armenians, Syrians, Ethiopians, and Nubians are at one in the orthodox faith which the holy fathers of old once unanimously confessed, and which Nestorius, Leo, and the Council of Chalcedon had changed.' See Hist. Pair. Renaudot, p. 461 ; Ter-Mikelian, Die armen. Kirche, &c. p. 84. On the other hand, it is certain that many of the Armenians, and of their writers and teachers, preserved the catholic belief which Ibn al-Kanbar and his followers also maintained in the lifetime of our the of ; and, author himself, Synod Tarsus, summoned by king Leo and the patriarch Gregory in a.d. 1196, acknowledged the Council of Chalcedon. For the acceptance of the catholic doctrine by Armenian doctors, see Clemens Galanus, Conciliai. Eccles. Arm. cum Romana ex ipsis Armenontm Patrum et doctorum fes/imom'is, &c, Rome, 1690. 3 It is, of course, well known that the Copts look upon Dioscorus, the twenty- fifth patriarch of Alexandria, who was condemned by the Council of Chalcedon in a.d. 451, and upon Severus, the fifty-seventh patriarch of Antioch, who was condemned by the Synods of Constantinople of a.d. 518 and a.d. 536 and the second General Council of Constantinople in a.d. 553, as the two great champions ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 29 patriarchs, who withstood emperors and great men in matters of religion, x and exposed the following of the emperor in his creed, and would not the faith of the ancient fathers 2 who had withstood give up 318 , 3 Diocletian the Infidel, and endured torments of different kinds, the limbs of some being cut off, in defence of the true faith established by patriarchs and bishops through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and condemned and excommunicated any who should depart from it and believe differently. Now this wretch Mark ibn al-Kanbar, blind both in eyes and heart, as one of the fathers said, separated himself from the ranks of the brethren, as Judas Iscariot did, and therefore God removed him from the ranks of the orthodox, as he removed Satan from the ranks of the angels on high on account of his pride and his thinking Fol. 12 b within himself that he was the for which cause he fell and so greatest, ; this wretch Mark thought within himself that he was wise, and therefore he fell and became one of the disputatious heretics who imagine that the Will of the Manhood was to the Will of the Godhead and opposed ;

of the monophysite doctrine, or orthodox faith as they call it. These two monophysite saints are commemorated or invoked more than once in the course of the Coptic liturgy. The Prayer of Absolution addressed to the Son (^1 JJ^) prays ' ' that all present may be absolved out of the mouth of the Trinity, of the twelve

' apostles, of Saint Mark, and of the holy patriarch Severus and our teacher Dioscorus.' The visit of Severus to Egypt is commemorated in the Coptic calendar on Babah 2 = his 8 and September 29, death on Amshir i4=February ; the translation of his body to the monastery of To Ennalon at Alexandria on Kihak 10= December 6. Severus was the author of many works in Greek, which were translated into Syriac, and are still in great part extant; see British Museum Catalogue of Syriac MSS. The fragments of Severus' works in the original Greek still existing are to be found in Mai, Script, vet. nova collectio. The death of Dioscorus is commemorated on Tut 7 = September 4. 1 This is an allusion to the origin of the name Melkite, in Arabic ^1*, from dill, 'king' or 'emperor.' 2 Of Nicaea.

3 It is true that some of the bishops who took part in the first Council of Nicaea had suffered in the persecution. 30 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

J he was excommunicated by three patriarchs : namely, by Anba Jonas the seventy-second, who died while this wretch was still bound by his the of anathemas, and had not been loosed from them ; by patriarch Michael 2 and Anba Mark the Antioch, Anba ; by seventy-third of and also in the two [patriarch Alexandria] ; by sixty bishops provinces of Northern and Southern Egypt. Now this Ibn al-Kanbar had gathered together a body from among the Melkites, the opponents of our orthodox faith, together with those who came to him of the ignorant and simple among the Copts, and he went down to Kalyub with the desire to pervert some of the scribe of the and the damin 3 inhabitants of that town ; but the town,

1 see fol. a. In Arabic the names or ^.s!. and are Or John, 9 UL>^ {J ^IjJj frequently confused. Al-Makrizi calls both the seventy-second and the seventy- fourth patriarch Jonas, whereas the patriarchal biographies name them John. 2 This patriarch does not seem to be named in the lists. He was the author of a treatise on Preparation for the Eucharist (Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 550).

There are five of the name in the rolls of the see, namely, Michael I, the 88th patriarch, consecrated a. d. 879; Michael II, the 126th, a.d. 1370; Michael III, the 129th, a.d. 1401; Michael IV, the 134th, a. d. 1454; Michael V, the 140th, a.d. 1555. The published lists are full of discrepancies. See Le Quien, Oriens

Christ, ii. col. ff. Patriarchate ff. If Michael of 713 ; Neale, of Antioch, p. 173 Antioch excommunicated Ibn al-Kanbar, it must have been on account of his rejection of the monophysite doctrine, not on account of his teaching on the sacrament of penance, which agrees with that of the patriarch of Antioch, contained in his treatise; see Renaudot, op. cit. p. 552. 3 The damin was the farmer of the taxes. The fact that he and the scribe were both Copts is an illustration of the rule followed by the Mahometan governors of employing Copts as officials in those branches of the government service which

required facility in writing and accuracy in calculation; see below, fol. 28 b. There is a well-known passage of Al-Makrizi which contains the following words, in

which he speaks of the unsuccessful rebellion of the Copts in a. h. 2i6 = a.d. 831 : ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 31 of the town, and others of the orthodox party heard of him, and went to him and watched him, and took him and his party and bound them to the 1 and them and informed the wall 2 of pay poll-tax , gave orders, the town that this body of men were acting in opposition to their own laws, and lay under the ban of the patriarch, and that the people of every

' district in which they settled would suffer from them. Visit them Fol. 13 a ' ' therefore [added the scribe and the damin] and do not let them go until thou hast obtained money from them, lest they secretly enter the town and harm come to the inhabitants.' So the wall visited them and made prisoners of them, and would not let them go until they had paid seventeen dinars as a the and when contribution towards poll-tax ; they had paid the poll-tax, certificates were written for them in which they bound themselves not to visit Kalyub, except as travellers on their way to the capital or some other city, and never to settle in the town. Thus they departed from Kalyub in the worst of plights. 3 Then Ibn al-Kanbar heard that the patriarch of the Melkites was arrived from Alexandria, and was spending his time in a hall of reception 4 so he his thither to salute him and to ; made way congratulate

' None of the after this able to and Copts was rebel against the government ; the Muslims subdued them throughout the country villages. So they betook themselves to cheating instead of fighting, and to the employment of cunning and and to the Muslims and scribes of the guile, cheating ; they were appointed land-tax, and there were many affairs between them and the Muslims.' {Khitat,

ii. p. Pit*.) 1 Laid upon all who refused to adopt the Mahometan religion, by the conditions of conquest. The Kanbarites would, of course, already have paid it in their own district, and were forced to pay it a second time as a punishment for having come to Kalyub. 2 The wdli I'beled or governor of the town was the chief local official, and head of the police. 8 Sophronius II was patriarch in a. d. 1166. His successor was Elias(?). In 1 195 Mark was patriarch. Le Quien, ii. col. 487 ff. 4 into is the name the modern to ul^^ ' corrupted" Liwan, given by Egyptians the raised of the in which the host and his part reception-room (ijh.**) guests 32 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

him upon his good health, in the company of a body of followers who might justify their leader's words if he were attacked. Now this patriarch

was accompanied by several metropolitans, that is, the metropolitans of the country, who informed the patriarch of the harm that Ibn al-Kanbar had done to them by breaking the canons of their religion, and they

' inquired into the matter, and they said, This man is a Copt, and does

' what is not customary.' Then Ibn al-Kanbar answered, God curse the

' hour when I became one of you.' And the patriarch said to him, Virtue and peace alone are to be found in our company.' Subsequently to this, Ibn al-Kanbar requested that a church might be allotted to him at Sanbat \ after what had happened to him there.

' But the metropolitan of that place said to the patriarch, Relieve me of my office of metropolitan, and call him to take a church for himself, if thou hast appointed one for him.' So the patriarch was silent, and said Fol. 13 b not a word. A disgraceful encounter took place between Ibn al-Kanbar and this metropolitan of Sanbat, the end of which was that the metropolitan rushed upon him and dealt him a painful blow, and knocked off his head-covering before a full assembly. This happened in the month of in = A. D. Abib the year of the Church 901 ( 1186). In the same month this wretch Ibn al-Kanbar dared to return and pay a visit to the father and patriarch Anba Mark, accompanied by c Ibn Abdun and one of the most distinguished friends of the patriarch, to whose Cell at the Muallakah they conducted him. The patriarch was

sit. is called The lower part of the room, much narrower than the Liwan, iisji, and here the guests leave their shoes before stepping on the Liwan. Upon the Liwan, mats or carpets are spread, and against the walls are mattresses and cushions composing the diwan or divan. See Lane, Modern Egyptians,

i. p. 15 f. 1 Also called situated in the as the Sunbutiyah (Yakut) ; Jazirah Kusaniya, district was then called. It was the Coptic T^ceJULncrf", and is now included in the district of Ziftah, in the province of Al-Gharbiyah, having

a in of See Wort. iv. 1 population 1885 3,223. Yakut, Geogr. p. 01 ; Al-Idrisi,

op. cil. (ed. Rome) [p. 116]; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 415. ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 33 surrounded by a company, and said to him, 'Why has thy reverence 1 returned to me, thou excommunicate, in this guise so different from our fashion?' and he put forth his hand to Ibn al-Kanbar's head and struck off his cap, so that he remained bareheaded. But one of the disciples of the restored the to his head and this vexed the and patriarch cap ; patriarch, he was wroth with that disciple for what he had done without permission. So Ibn al-Kanbar departed from his presence, and went forth ashamed, not knowing how to walk. Then the news of this occurrence reached the patriarch of the Melkites, who sent for Ibn al-Kanbar, and reproved

' him, saying, Dost thou visit a patriarch whose faith thou dost oppose ? ' How will he arrange thy affairs ? Then the patriarch of the Melkites of Al-Kusair 2 and there he dwelt sent Ibn al-Kanbar to the monastery , his the affairs of the nor Fol. 14 a with companions, administering monastery ; was he converted to anything except to disputing with all communities, in himself that he was wise while he thus he was thinking ; yet thought overcome by ignorance. He lived only a short time after this, and then he died 3 his own soul and the souls of those whom he , having destroyed seduced by his deceit. After the death of Ibn al-Kanbar, I found a report on sheets of 5 in the of Anba Michael 4 of paper handwriting , metropolitan Damietta, who therein makes the following statements to the author of this book, perhaps in answer to his letter to him on the subject of Ibn al-Kanbar and the evil which he wrought in the world. Within it were the words :

1 is not The respectful mode of address here ironically used by the patriarch all the lowest ranks, appropriate to the clergy, but common to men above igb.lii is now frequently found, especially in letters. 2 See below, fol. 49 ff. s For the date of his death see below, fol. 51 a and b. 4 The author of a treatise on Confession (Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 552) and of other works (Vansleb, Histoire de TEglise d'A/exandrie, p. 333). 6 There were three metropolitans under the Coptic patriarch, namely those of and but the date at which the see of Damietta Damietta, Jerusalem, Abyssinia ; that in was raised to the metropolitical dignity, and the exact nature of dignity this case, are uncertain.

f [II. 7-] 34 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

' The poor miserable Michael at Damietta, hereby makes known to his friend the brother that which has reached me with regard to Fakhir ibn al-Kanbar, who became a priest although unworthy of that dignity in many ways, and was called Mark, and with regard to his corrupt doctrines contained in the treatises which he composed, in books con- tradicting the truth, and by which he seduced simple men, devoid of understanding, into the paths of the heretics. Now this insolent heretic

had married a wife, who lived with him for a time ; but afterwards he desired to become a monk, and to separate himself from her. She, would not consent to his wishes and so he conceived the however, ; plan of marrying her in secret to another. Then he went to Anba Jonas, bishop of Damsis \ and made him believe that his wife had become a and was in the convent with the nuns and thus the nun, living ; bishop admitted him to the monastic vows, and ordained him priest. But his affairs did not long remain secret, and information was laid against him Fol. 14 b before the patriarch Jonas, the seventy-second in the succession of the fathers and this 2 his excommunication and patriarchs ; [and occasioned] cutting off, and the excommunication of the bishop who had ordained him priest, because he had not inquired into the truth of the matter in such a way as to establish the veracity of Ibn al-Kanbar before he as a and for thus he had admitted him monk ordained him priest ; become a partner with him in his sin and his contempt of the apostolic canons. For Paul the Apostle says that if a woman chooses to separate herself from her husband, and he consents to her desire, she shall not

1 The Coptic TeAJLCIurf". Yakut sets this town four parasangs from Samannud and two from Bara, of which places the former is still existing, see note on fol. 57 b, and the latter was in the diocese of Sakha, now in the district of Kafr ash-Shaikh in the province of Al-Gharbiyah. The Copto-Arabic lists of places give Damsis between Sandalat and Sahrajt or Natu, but the order of the

names in such lists cannot always be depended upon as strictly corresponding to the position of the localities. Damsis is no longer existing, although it was still

a town at the of this See Wort. ii. oaa Ibn beginning century. Yakut, Geogr. p. ;

cit. 1 . Al-Idrisi 1 f. Dukmak, op. p. ; (ed. Rome) [p. 117]; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 19 2 Some words seem to be omitted here. ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 35

another and if she to be she shall return to her marry ; prefers married, but the shall not his wife at all. Yet former husband ; man put away this man put away his wife, and forced her to separate herself from him, and married her to another. ' After this he made a parade of his learning and his exposition of * into Arabic and the holy books, and he translated them from Coptic ; he wrote that Tafsir at-Tafsir according to the imaginations of his own mind. While he was living at the church of Damsis, he concealed the 2 Guide which indicates what portions of the Gospels and of the ecclesias-

1 Coptic had become a dead language long before this time in Lower Egypt, although Al-Makrizi informs us that near Usyut, at Mushah and Udrunkah, and of the fifteenth in other parts of Upper Egypt, it was still spoken at the beginning and Vansleb assures us that he was shown an old man who was said to be century ; are: the last person who spoke Coptic. Al-Makrizi' s words with regard to Mushah

.(A''hit at, ii. p. o.v)

Of Udrunkah he says :

^JXsT^ a*^ ^^ U^*' I4JJj-Mj I4J ^a^Jjj ptbj-t-k^o ^Ja-^ L)J*J**- iJj^ \J* ^j^j

o i .[Ibid. p. a) jLj,r]1> For a translation of these passages see Appendix.

2 Generally called kutmdrus, a corruption of the Coptic word K^/T<*JUiepOC, borrowed from the Greek and meaning ' divided into sections.' See Vansleb,

ii. 260. Hist, de VEglise d'A/ex. p. 62, and Butler, Coptic Churches, p. Mr. Malan has published an almost complete translation of a Coptic Kutmdrus (London,

D. Nutt, 1874). (A. J. B.) A kutmdrus, in the Medicean Library at Florence, of a. d. 1396, exhibits the following title and list of contents of its first two parts :

K.TH eecnr^ii : oyo, f emcroXK k^ooXikh :

riejut enicToXn rrre ni^vioc n/*Xoc : rteju. e^oX^en

nejuL T$.cyi rrre ruexcjopg, rtejm ^ert .rt4>op.ctjcnr ,>eri v nixm^uxy nixmcfccucy ~H ee&e rtiKvpi.KK itejut nincy^.1 e-recrtKcnr exe $&.! ne ee&e rti ktpi^kk rrre nie.fiurr ni&crciT" exe $

KXemoc nejuL rtoirajHpi ^>eit -f-.ftoTit e-f^.rt^c- t

Epistles [of Saint Paul] and the Catholic Epistles and the Acts, he produced what he chose in his own mind, some passage expounded in

onrXovoc rixe m^vioc iuoA.nriHc hixp^coctojuloc eefte ne nejui nF ccXovoc rrre m^vioc .e

' Kutmarus : containing the Psalms and Lessons from the Holy Scriptures, and from the seven Catholic Epistles, and from the Epistles of Saint Paul, and from the Acts of the from the four Books of the to be read Apostles, and Gospel ; throughout the of the at and at and at the course year, Vespers, Midnight, Liturgy ; according to the rule of the Church of Alexandria of the Copts. Divided into three parts.

' The first part [contains the Lessons] for the following Sundays and Festivals : ' The Sundays of the first six months of the year, namely, Tut, Babah, Hatur,

Kihak, Tubah, Amshir ; ' Festivals of Saint the Cross the The John Baptist ; Holy ; George Martyr ; the Four Creatures Michael the the Four and Elders Living ; Archangel ; Twenty ; Mercurius the the Annunciation of the the of Martyr ; Holy Virgin Mary ; Vigil the of the Lord Saint Dioscorus Nativity ; Stephen, Protomartyr ; ; Aesculapius and their sons at in the Thebaid the of the of the Lord Panopolis ; Vigil Baptism ; the Commemoration of the the Saint Macarius Holy Virgin Mary ; Forty Martyrs ; ; the Apostles Peter and Paul.

' The second part [contains the Lessons] for the following Sundays and

Festivals : ' the to the Resurrection the the The Sundays of Fast up ; Sundays of Fifty to the of Pentecost the Festival of the Ascension of the Lord Days up Sunday ; ; the of the of Misri the fifth of the five Sundays months Bashans, Ba'unah, Abib, ; and of the Great Week. intercalary days ; every day

' Discourse of Saint Sinuthius, which is read on the Monday, Tuesday, and the Great Discourse of Severian Wednesday, Thursday [of Week] ; Bishop for the Discourse of Saint for the and Wednesday ; John Chrysostom Thursday Friday; Discourse of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria for the Friday; Discourse of Severus of Antioch for Holy Saturday.' 38 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Pol. 15 a the Tafsir at-Tafsir, to support his heresy and to strengthen his false creed, until he stole away the minds of some of the orthodox laity, whose fear of God and efforts for the salvation of their souls made them submit to be deceived by his embellishments, and to enter with him into his sect. First of all he allured them to confess their sins to him, and then he confirmed the belief in their minds that without such confession

there can be no repentance or forgiveness. Next he commanded them not to shave the whole of their heads, but only the crown of the head, and to give up the practice of circumcision, because God created Adam free from defects 1 created form of perfect and ; saying, "As God the

Adam and perfected it, so it is very good," and that this tradition of circumcision is not accepted except by the Jews and Hanifs. He also taught that frankincense alone should be burnt in the church, because it was offered to the with the the and that Lord gold and myrrh ; a man must not wash his mouth with water after communion. All these things were taught by degrees, and the people listened to his teachings one by one during a space of more than fifteen years. At last he the of the cross with 2 bade them make sign two fingers , and make their communion with the reserved 3 sacrament which had been

consecrated on the Sunday, and which the priest took with him and gave to those who confessed and desired to receive the communion after confessing and doing penance, taking the centre of it and dipping it in new wine, over which they prayed apart and so communicated. 4 Pol. 15 b He also abrogated the three days of the Fast of Nineveh and the first

1 This reminds us of the objection made by the Russians of the conservative party to the patriarch Nicon, when he inculcated the practice of shaving the beard,

' that he was teaching them to mutilate the image of God.' 2 The practice of the Copts was and is to make the sign of the cross with one

finger. See Vansleb, Hist, de FlZglise d'Alex. p. 68. 3 Reservation of the sacrament is not sanctioned by the Coptic canons. See

Butler, Coptic Churches, ii. pp. 54, 293. (A. J. B.) 4 The Fast of Nineveh is so called in remembrance of the Ninevites, who fasted to turn away the wrath of God. It lasts three days, beginning on Monday, and falls two weeks before the Fast of Heraclius, which immediately precedes ACCOUNT OF MARK IBN AL-KANBAR. 39

1 week of the Fast, according to the rule of the Melkites, and he allowed meat and milk to be eaten during the Week of Nineveh on the two days of Wednesday and Friday.

' In consequence of all these things, those of the orthodox who were on their guard against him awoke, while his followers among the Christians were deceived by him. Moreover, his creed which he expounded, and which is contained in the books which he wrote, is such as no Christian community accepts, not even the Melkites whom he approached in the doctrines that have already been described. For he said in his books that the Holy Trinity is composed of three Gods, each of them absolutely perfect in word and spirit, but having one that resemble and who common nature ; and they Adam, Eve, Abel, were three persons with one common nature, each of them being as perfect as the others. In the next place, Mark drew distinctions between the three Persons, and held that the Father has dominion and authority over his Son and his Holy Spirit, and commands or

Lent. See Hist, de

(Strasburg, 1672), cap. vi. (A. J. B.) 1 I. e. the so-called Fast of Heraclius, which, immediately preceding Lent, forms the first week of the Great Fast. The origin of this fast is said to be as follows: that the emperor Heraclius, on his way to Jerusalem, promised his protection to the Jews of Palestine, but that on his arrival in the holy city, the schismatical patriarch and the Christians generally prayed him to put all the Jews to the sword, because they had joined the Persians shortly before in their sack of the and cruelties towards the Christians that the hesitated to break city ; emperor his solemn oath in the manner thus suggested to him, but was eventually persuaded to sanction a general massacre of the Jews by the solemn promise made to him by the authorities of the monophysite community that all members of their body would henceforth until the end of -the world observe the week before Lent as a strict fast for the benefit of his soul. This promise was, of course, binding on the Egyptian and Ethiopian monophysites, as well as on the Syrians, with whom alone

were in but it did affect the Melkites. See Hist, de they communion ; not Vansleb, I'Eglise dAlex. p. 74 f. The same account of the origin of the Fast of Heraclius is the ii. pi given by Mahometan historian Al-Makrizi (Khitat, p. 1). (A. J. B.) 40 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

forbids them to act and that him and follow his ; they obey commands; and that each of the Three does a work in which the others do not

: the commands the Son creates participate Father, namely, ; what the to create the life Father commands him ; and Holy Spirit gives to to the Father him to life and that which commands give ; that every creature which exists was created by the Son, at the command of the Father and that lives received life from the ; everything Holy Spirit at the command of the Father. Fol. 16 a 'In the next place he held that there was a feminine quality in the Godhead, and he taught that this feminine quality is proper to the 1 Holy Spirit . He held that the eternal Word of God is born through

1 The words of St. Jerome are the best commentary on this passage :

' Hebraei asserunt, nee de hac re apud eos ulla dubitatio est, Spiritum Sanctum

lingua sua appellari genere feminino, id est ntlhp nn . . . Sed et in evangelio

quod, juxta Hebraeos scriptum, Nazaraei lectitant, Dominus loquitur : modo me tulit mater mea, Spiritus Sanctus. Nemo autem in hac parte scandalizari debet quod dicatur apud Hebraeos spiritus genere feminino, cum nostra lingua appelletur genere masculino, et Graeco sermone neutro. In divinitate enim nullus est sexus.

Et ideo in tribus principalibus linguis, quibus titulus dominicae scriptus est pas- sionis, tribus generibus appellatur, ut sciamus nullius esse generis quod diversum est.' (Jerome, Comtn. in Esaiam, cap. xl. ver. n.)

' Origen quotes the same passage from the Ebionite or Nazarene Gospel ' according to the Hebrews : " , Eav 8e to K.a.6' %v6a 6 npoaUral tis 'Eftpaiovs evayyeXiou, avTos 'EatTTjp (prjcrtv' "Apri

to iv tu>v Kai (Is to eAa/3/ pe fj prjTrjp pov ayiov irvevpa pin rpi^cov pov (mrjvfyice pe opos

to in torn. vol. iv. col. peya Qaftlop." (Origen, Comm. Johannem, II; 132, Migne ; cf. Homil. XV in Jerem.) Ibn al-Kanbar, whose opinions are here described for us by a hostile witness, anxious to detect as many errors as he can in the writings of a man condemned by the authorities of the Coptic community, perhaps knew a little Syriac, or even

a little Hebrew, and so was aware that the word for 'spirit' in those languages, im,

Ju.o>, is feminine in gender, and commented upon that fact, possibly to the same effect as Jerome. The Coptic metropolitan evidently presents us with a very crude statement of Ibn al-Kanbar's views. In Arabic ~. may be masculine as well as feminine, and is used in the former A CCOUNT OF MARK IBN A L-KA NBAR. 4 1 all the Father and the and he eternity from Holy Spirit ; explained that as the Father has no beginning, so the Holy Spirit proceeds from him 1 without and the Son also is eternally , beginning, begotten eternally from them both without beginning. He held that God never spoke to any of his creatures, but spoke to his Son and to his and he contradicted all the words of God that came to Holy Spirit ; his people through the divine books, both old and new. He held that the patriarchs and the prophets were tormented in hell on account of their sins that could not save their souls in of their ; and they spite but were in hell until the Lord Christ piety towards God ; punished saved them, being himself without sin. He held that the patriarchs and prophets were without the gift of the Holy Spirit, and next that the never their mouths thus them the Holy Spirit spoke by ; denying grace of the. Holy Spirit. He said: "If the Holy Spirit had been in them, they would not have gone down into hell." Next he supported these false doctrines by the assertion that all the good actions done by the patriarchs and prophets were reckoned by God to Satan, which 16 b is as much as to say that Satan helped them to do good deeds without Fol. the Holy Spirit. This doctrine he supported by his belief that the good works done by the disciples and the rest of the people of Christ are reckoned to Christ, because they did these works by the Holy Spirit.

when it denotes the or The ancient gender Holy Spirit, ^liJl ^Jl u-jJ^h form was -j^J\ .. from the J>*.a,o u , Syriac Juoi. 1 Here the metropolitan of Damietta attributes to Ibn al-Kanbar the common

' doctrine of the Melkites and Copts. Vansleb says of the latter : Us croient que le Saint Esprit procede du Pere seulement, se fondant sur la parole de notre Seigneur, quand il dit dans son fivangile > Cum autem venerit Paraclitus, quern de d'Alex. 122 In the ego mittam vobis, a patre meo,' &c. {Hist, I'ltglise p. f.) Catechism published in 1885 by Filta us, the hegumen of the patriarchal church

of St. Mark at Cairo, it is said (p. v) : J }1 - w5> i*ls- - ^Wl c^uAl J\ { Ujl M ^ j^X\ y.jLftJI ^Jl jlioill jt^i. fj^W ' character The third Person [of the Trinity] is distinguished by the appropriate is to issues of procession, for He is the Holy Spirit who proceeds, that say,

from the Father eternally.' g [II. 7-] 42 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

He held also that none has died from the time of Adam onwards except for sin for committing some which he deserved death ; and that the body of Christ alone did not commit any sin, for which it deserved death and that when he died he received from his Father all that ; were in the merit of his death in imprisoned hell, through ; and one place he says, "he received from Satan all that were imprisoned in hell." Thus Mark implies that the Lady died on account of sin alone, and so others beside her who are justified in the Gospel and the Old Testament. He held also that after the death of men and their assembling in paradise, there happens to those who have not been chastised in this life 1 the same that to and he happened Adam ; held that punishment and recompense in the next world belong to the

1 Vansleb says that although the Copts do not employ a term corresponding

' ' to the Latin purgatory,' yet il est bien vrai qu'ils croyent que les ames souffrent des peine9 & qu'elles recoivent du soulagement par le Saint Sacrifice & par les oeuvres de pite qu'on fait pour elles, & il est vrai aussi qu'a. cette fin ils font des obseques pour ces memes ames & qu'ils disent la Messe le 3 & le 7 jour, a. la fin du mois, au quarantieme jour, au sixieme mois & a. la fin de l'annee de leur tre'pas,' &c. (Hist, de flZg/ise d'Alex. p. 140). Perhaps the doctrine of Ibn al-Kanbar was more definite than that held by the majority of the Copts on a point on which, as Vansleb says, TEglise Copte ne s'est point encore expliqude.' The following is an extract from page oa of the Catechism of Filta'us, which has already been quoted : .Jl i^jLUl) lioAl .RiLUJ' Jxjj ^^i-i^l Jjfc ^

i*Llj' xJl5 (_flJvi.ll e^UL* jo -. (j.ij^l (jL^a.^1 J-xSj (jbJlll JLejJLij iL^xJl ^J\

Aa.JI ^ uy aJLasjuI "3^ L>y> ^jjJJ (^J J-^i^ (_s^ ^h*^ ^) *-\r~-\ ^)j ^ajl-sj o-a-*-^

J i\ AjwUJ SLmyJLj JLuaall sj.4 J^jSJ Jwol^wl L>^J> JUs*.^! ^j* ^-A^ l-ftv^JO (.IfliO-jl

' Question: Are the souls of the faithful profited by prayers and good works?

' Answer: Yes. The prayers of the church and the offering of the Holy Sacrifice and the performance of good works profit those souls which have died still tainted by some of the imperfections and weaknesses of human nature, but not those which are sunk in vice and are reprobate without hope of repentance or forgiveness. This truth has been taught by the universal Church of Christ from CERTAIN WONDERS OF EGYPT, 43

reasonable soul from the but that chastise- intelligent and apart body ; ment in this world is for the body, in order that, to avoid the pains of penance, it may not again consent with the soul in the commission of sin; then it will be saved on the last day. 'All the expositions of his wicked doctrines are found in the books that he wrote, such as that called The Ten Chapters, and that entitled Fol. 17 a The Teacher the of and the work and Disciple, consisting eight parts ; named The Collection of Fundamental Principles, and others.'

Certain Wonders of Egypt.

1 Section in which the fishing-place is described. In the neighbourhood of the Nile, there is a place at which on a particular day much fish collects and the of that out and fish with ; people place go their none of the fish from so that hands, and escape them ; the people of that place catch enough to be eaten or salted by all of them. But when the sun has set on that day not one of them catches a single fish more nor that fish at that until that ; during year are found place, particular day comes round again. 2 Account of the City of Stone . Everything in this city is of hard black stone. There is the image of a teacher, sitting with his boys, stand before in numbers small and there who him large both great ; and are the likenesses of lions and wild beasts and other things. 3 Account of the moving pillar in the land of Egypt. This is the first ages, and the Church of Israel bears witness in the second Book of Maccabees that Judas Maccabaeus offered sacrifices for the departed warriors

(2 Mace. xii. 43).'

1 ' This fishing-place is not mentioned by Al-Makrizi among the wonders of the Nile.' 2 Madinat al-Hajar, or the City of Stone, is still existing in the south of the Fayyum, close to the village of Al-Gharak. There is an ancient sculptured gateway and some columns and other remains of an ancient city. 3 Can this be a version of the story told of the minaret of Abwit near Al-Bahnasa, reckoned by As-Suyuti among the twenty wonders of Egypt, which constitute two-thirds of the wonders of the world ? He says it is

g 2 44 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. a marble pillar, rising to the height of about seventeen cubits above the ground, and its diameter is two cubits. It moves on one day of the year, making one motion. Account of the tree 1 bears fruit when a runs , which only man towards it with an as if it axe, he wishes to cut down ; and another man meets him and forbids him to cut it down, and guarantees to him on behalf of it that it will bear fruit. And in truth in the ensuing year it bears a quantity of fruit equal to that of two years.

' skilfully constructed, so that if a man pushes it it inclines to the right and to the left; but the movement is not visible externally except in the shadow of the minaret 6 in the sunshine.' i. j , (Husn al-Muhddarah, p. .)

Cf. Ibn Dukmak, who says, in speaking of Abwit :

' In this town there is a wonder, namely, its minaret, which is ascended, and, if it is to the and leans to one side the of this is pushed, yields push, ; and cause unknown.' (Op. cit., v. p. r.) Al-Makrizi tells a similar tale of the minaret of Barzakh, a suburb of Damietta; see Khitat, i. p. rr. 1 This is no more than a grossly exaggerated report of the well-known sensitive properties of the Mimosa Nilotica, named ki in Arabic. Al-Makrizi gives the following account in his description of the wonders of Egypt :

>laiill> Ijl ilaJ^j i,xi ix*o (**2s?j J>jj ciOJ^i' l^-i ^J^M Uju^a) jjl W*^ ri*)

Xws-JI ik:-j S A dL^c jjj ^ ^1 *) !'J^ J 3 jj^-^j /*^"b*** (gJliSjj lijfic l^J jlsLi^^oJj

'Among the wonders of Egypt is this: that in Upper Egypt there is a hamlet in which there a and if this mimosa is called Dashni, grows mimosa-tree ; threatened with being cut down it withers away and shrinks up and grows smaller; but when they say to it, "We have forgiven thee, we will spare thee," then the tree recovers. It is a well-known thing and true at the present day that in is laid there is a mimosa Upper Egypt which withers away if the hand upon it, and recovers when the hand is removed.' (Khitat, i. p. rr.) fruit the sant used in The of was medicine ; see 'Abd al-Latif, Mukhtasar Akhbdr Misr, ed. White, pp. 48, 50. BUSIR BANA. 45

T Account of the stones which are found at a place called Al- Fol. 17 b Barmak, between Khuraij and Yakhtak. It is on the side of a mountain, and when a caravan or a troop of soldiers passes by, they bind much wool on the hoofs of their horses, and so make the ascent ; for if these stones struck against one another, a dark mist would rise at once and would prevent their progress, and an exceedingly heavy rain would descend. It is said that the wise men of this country fixed these stones district rain was slow in to moved in this ; and, when coming them, they these stones by their arts, so that rain came to them whenever a rainfall 2 is related in the of Al-Mu'tasim and was needed. This biography ; certain of the chronicles contain the account of it, which is a true one.

Churches of Busir Band and other places.

3 The southern provinces of the land of Egypt. Busir Wana is named after a sorcerer 4 who lived there and was named Busir. The

1 The stones which cause rain if they strike together are not described in the Life of Al-Mu'tasim, published by Matthiessen, Leyden, 1849. 2 of Abbaside son of Harun and brother The eighth the caliphs ; ar-Rashid, and successor of Al-Ma'mun. Reigned at Bagdad from a. h. 218 to 227 = a. d.

see Abu ii. 833-842 ; '1-Fida, Annales, pp. 166-176. 3 The following passage is repeated almost word for word below, fol. 68 b ff. It is also quoted by Quatremere, Mem. Hist, et Ge'ogr. i. p. no ff. Our author, followed by Quatremere, evidently confuses Busir Wana or Bana with Bfisir Kuridus, which lies to the south of Cairo, at the entrance to the Fayyum. Busir fol. Busir Kuridus is, however, spoken of by name on 92 b. Wana or Bana is situated in the district of Samannud, in the province of Al-Gharbiyah, and is therefore wrongly placed, both here and on fol. 68 b, in Southern or Upper Egypt. The town has now 5,359 inhabitants. It is near the town of Bana or Wana, here called (beginning of fol. 18 a) Wana Busir. The Coptic form of

is Four Busirs are mentioned Busir fionfCIpI, and of Bana or Wana n

Yakut : Busir in the district of Samannud Busir Kuridus Busir by Bana ; ; Dafadnu in the and Busir as-Sidr in the of See Fayyum ; province Al-Jizah.

Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. vi.j Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 117]; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. pp. 7-1 1. 4 On fol. 92 b, Busir Kuridus is also said to be named after a sorcerer. 46 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. town contains a large church, very spacious, built of stone, and situated within the near the fortress. It in city, was constructed ancient times ; and as time went by, and the kings required the stone of which it is constructed, much of this material was taken away from it. The church is now a but its remains are still stand near the ruin, conspicuous ; they 1 prison of Joseph the Truthful, that is to say the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the Friend of God, upon whom be peace. 2 3 The city of Wana contains the church of George .

1 ' ' Here our author is making a fresh mistake. The prison of Joseph was neither at Busir Bana nor at Busir Kuridus, but at Busir as-Sidr in the province of Al-Jizah. Al-Makrizi says :

u&\\ dJi Is.- b ja*

1 Al-Kudai says : The prison of Joseph, upon whom be peace ! is at Busir in the of all the learned of are province Al-Jizah ; men Egypt agreed upon the authenticity of this spot.' (Khitat, i. p. r.v.) This passage of Al-Kudai is also quoted by Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. Pv. Al-Makrizi goes on to state that the ' ' ' flat roof of the prison was called Ijdbat ad-Dud, the answer to prayer,' and that it was much visited at particular times by those who had special petitions to make : notably by Kafur al-Ikhshidi. As-Suyuti speaks of the prison as standing to the north of the pyramids, which are still known as the Pyramids of Abusir, and are a little to the north of Sakkarah, and about six miles to the south of Al-Jizah. Busir or Abusir as-Sidr is now in the district of Badrashain, and had in 1885 a population of 1,848. In the fourteenth century, as it appears from the revenue-lists, the place was of great importance. Amelineau, Geogr. p. 10. The pyramids of Busir and the mummies found there are described by A.bd al-Latif, Mukhtasar Akhbdr Mt'sr, ed. White, pp. 156, 158. 2 Wana or Bana is near Busir Wana, as it has already been remarked. It was the seat of a Coptic bishopric. It is also called, as it may be seen a few lines lower down, Wana or Bana Busir. It was named in Greek KwonoXis, and in

it is now included in the district in Coptic n

f. Recensement de ii. (ed. Rome) [p. 117]; Ame'lineau, G/ogr. p. 84 ; PEgypte, p. 69. 3 This church is mentioned by Al-Makrizi, see Appendix. We shall find, as MUNYA T AL-KA 'ID. 47

1 At Munyat al-Ka id there is a church. It was restored by Fadl ibn had been a to the vizier Abu ibn Killis 2 in Salih, who page '1-Faraj , 3 4 the of Al-Hakim it is named after Our the caliphate ; Lady Virgin , Fol. 18 a and stands near the river.

we proceed, that this was one of the most frequent dedications in Egypt. Our author mentions forty-two churches or monasteries named after St. George. He is, as it is well known, the famous Cappadocian martyr, probably the first who suffered under Diocletian, and with whose name the legend of the dragon is connected. At the time of the Crusades, St. George was proclaimed champion of Christendom, and in the reign of Edward III he was formally adopted by our countrymen as their patron saint, in addition to the former patrons of England, Our Lady and St. Peter. The martyrdom of St. George is commemorated by the Copts on Barmudah 23 = April 18; whereas the western calendar gives his name to April 23. His Acts exist in Coptic and Ethiopic. See Zoega, Cat. Codd. Copt. cod. cliii and Miracles St. with text and ; Budge, Martyrdom of George, Coptic translation. The extreme limit of scepticism with regard to this saint is reached by M. Amelineau, who regards his Acts, in all their versions, as pure romance

et romans de ii. (Contes VEgypte chretienne, p. 167 ff.) 1 Two days' journey to the south of Fustat (Old Cairo), according to Yakut, in the most northern part of Upper Egypt. The Ka id from whom it received its name was this very Fadl who restored the church. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. ivo. There were thirty-nine Munyahs in Egypt at this period; see

Yakut, Mushtarik, p. p. v. The word Munyah, now popularly pronounced Muiyah, or shortened into Mit, is an Arabicised form of the Coptic JULUOItH,

' ' which signifies port,' and is not derived from the Greek \x.ovr\, mansion/ as it was formerly suggested. Mit al-KdHd is now included within the district of Biba in the province of Ban! Suwaif, and in 1885 had a population of 455.

See Rec. de VEgypte, ii. p. 222. 2 is written a clerical error here and on fol. a as Abu wJS by 69 {j-^S- '1-Faraj ibn Killis was vizier to Al-Aziz from a. d. 979 to a. d. 990, see Ibn

Khallikan, iv. p. 359 ff.; As-Suyuti, Husn al-Mnhddarah, ii. p. icr . 3 The sixth of the Fatimide caliphs; reigned from a. h. 386 to 411 = a. d. 996-1020. He was a persecutor of the Christians, and was the founder of the religion of the Druses. See Introduction. 4 The dedication of churches to the Virgin was more frequent in Egypt, 48 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 Wana Busir contains a church named after the great and valiant Mercurius 2 and two other churches one dedicated to martyr , Our Lady the Pure Virgin, and the second to the holy martyr Saint 3 4 besides a church to the who is also George , martyr John , named

as might be expected, than any other dedication. More than fifty-five churches of the Virgin are mentioned by our author as existing in Egypt in his time. 1 Our author here returns to Wana or Bana, which he had left a few lines above. 2 After Our Lady and St. George this is one of the most popular dedications in Egypt. Our author mentions about thirty churches of St. Mercurius. This saint is one of the very few commemorated in the Coptic Synaxarium or Calendar among those who suffered in the time of Decius. According to the Coptic authorities, Mercurius was born at Rome, and was originally called Philopator. He was a great 'hunter of wild beasts,' but eventually became a soldier, and an angel gave him a two-edged sword with which he slew his enemies. It is this two-edged sword which has become two swords in the popular legend, and has earned for the saint the Arabic cognomen of Abu 's-Saifain, 'father' or 'owner of the two swords;' and the Coptic artists accordingly represent him brandishing a sword in each hand. Mercurius was beheaded at Caesarea in Cappadocia during the persecution of Decius; and his martyrdom is commemorated by the Copts on Hatur 25 =

Nov. 2 1 . There was also a bishop Mercurius, who was present at the Council of festival is on 1 = Feb. and another Nicaea, and whose kept Barmahat 25 ; Mercurius whose day is Babah 28 = Oct. 25. It is curious that the Dictiotiary of Christian Biography does not mention the name Mercurius. St. Mercurius the martyr of Caesarea is commemorated by the Greek church also, but on Nov. 25 instead of 21. i. and ii. Nov. See Butler, Coptic Churches, p. 76, pp. 357-9 ; Malan,

Calendar of Coptic Churchy p. 12 and p. 59, note 34; Wiistenfeld, Synaxarium,

f. Actes des de 16 ff. p. 135 ; Amelineau, Martyrs I'tglise Copte, p. ; Menologium

Graecorum in Op. et Stud. Hannibalis Clementis, torn. i. p. 212. (A. J. B.) 3 The prefix

Abu Yuhannus, and whose pure body is preserved in this church. There is also a church to the glorious angel, Michael the Archangel. 1 2 At one of the of is ldrijah , villages Bush , there a church to the great martyr Saint George. Tansa 3 contains a named after Nahadah 4 and church, , churches 5 named after the valiant martyr Mercurius, the glorious angel Gabriel, and Our Lady the Pure Virgin.

The Fayyilm.

6 Madinat al-Fayyum and its province. Al-Fayyiim was the name of of Kift 7 the of one of the sons , son Mizraim, who built it for one

1 Cf. below, fol. 69 b. Yakut speaks of ldrijah as a village of Upper Egypt in the of Al-Bahnasa see his Wort. i. 11 a. province ; Geogr. p. Cf. Ibn Dukmak, op. at. v. p. r . 2 Bush or Bush Kura was the Coptic nOTOjIIt, and still exists a little to the north of Bani Suwaif, with a population in 1885 of 7,091 inhabitants. The district is still a Christian centre, and contains the second monastery, in point of size and in See Wort. i. voa wealth, Egypt. Yakut, Geogr. p. ; Ame'lineau,

Geogr. p. 366 fF. (A. J. B.) 3 Now in the district of Biba, in the province of Bani Suwaif; and in 1885 had a of See Ibn v. 1 Rec. de ii. population 1,465. Dukmak, p. ; l'lgj>pte, p. 303. 4 These churches at Tansa are mentioned again fol. 60 b. The name of Nahadah occurs in the case of this one church only, among the Egyptian churches. 5 pW^, 'the valiant/ is an epithet especially applied to St. Mercurius and St. Theodore. 6 'The capital of the Fayyum,' still existing, and having in 1885 a population It of 25,799. was the Greek Arsinoe or Crocodilopolis. The name Fayyum is,

' ' ' ' as it is well known, the Coptic cbloJUL = the sea or lake : a name given on account of Lake Moeris, identified by some with the modern Birkat al-Kurdn, but by Mr. Cope Whitehouse with the low ground, now dry land, in the Wadi

Rayan, to the south of the Fayyum. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. rf\; Ame'lineau,

Geogr. p. 339 if. The following passage on the Fayyum is repeated on fol. 70 f. 7 As we shall see in several cases below, our author follows other Arab writers in deriving the names of places in Egypt from the names of real or

h [II. 7.] 50 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. of his daughters who had brought dishonour upon herself, so that he banished her thither. The existed before the time of 1 city Joseph , the son of Jacob, the son of Abraham the Friend of God, upon whom 2 be peace ! and Joseph rebuilt it. He also made the Nilometer . And he built and al-Lahun 3 which was built [Madinat] al-Fayyum Hajar , with wisdom, founded with divine assistance, and constructed by the 4 inspiration of God. Joseph also dug the canal of Al-Manhi . He supposed personages in remote antiquity. Many towns were supposed to be named after sons of Kift, who was said to have divided the land of Egypt among them. Most of these legends or traditions may be traced to the Arabic historian died in a. h. Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, who 257 (?), and from whom Al-Kindi, Al-Kuda i, Al-Makrizi, and As-Suyuti borrowed so much of their work. See As-Suyuti,

Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. r.. The name Kift was in reality borrowed from the town of Kift or Coptos, and from its resemblance to the Arabic term denoting the Egyptians, namely Kilt (W-J, an apocopated form of Alyvnnos, turned by us into ' rise to the of an ancestor of the of that Copt '), gave legend whole nation, name, the founder of that city. 1 All the Mahometan historians of Egypt, following Ibn Abd al-Hakam and Ibn Ishak, state that Joseph superintended the digging of the canals of the Fayyum and the building of its towns. See below, fol. 69 b f. 2 Al-Makrizi quotes Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam's own words, to which without doubt our author is referring :

t LiLiio xj>e sJlc <__ -h*j Jxil Is ^\*, k*>j> J^Jl ijJis ij* Jl j-jC ^)1 J

' Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam says : The first who measured the rise of the Nile in Egypt was Joseph, upon whom be peace ! who set up a Nilometer at Memphis.'

Cf. below, fol. 68 a, 69 b, 70 b; cf. also Diodorus, Bibl. Hist. i. cap. 36, who speaks of the earliest Nilometer as being at Memphis; and Herodotus, ii. cap. 13, who implies the existence of a Nilometer at Memphis under king Moeris. 3 I.e. the great dykes and sluices of brick and stone near the village of Al-Lahun, which regulated the supply of water into the Fayyum. This ancient structure, attributed by the Mahometan historians to Joseph (Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. rFv f. Wort. iv. rff p. ; Yakut, Geogr. p. ; As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah,

r i. p. r), was destroyed by French engineers early in this century, and a new lock erected. (A. J. B.) 4 Also called from its reputed author Bahr Yilsuf or 'Joseph's River.' It is THE FAYYUM. 51 cultivated the land of Egypt. The Fayyum contained three hundred of in the 1 and sixty-six districts, according to the number days year , each district to a and the revenue from each corresponding day ; yearly canton was a thousand dinars. The lands of this district are laid under Fol. 18 b but are not water when the river rises twelve cubits ; entirely submerged of land 2 in which with eighteen cubits. There are here tracts common , for are allowed to make use of no one has the right of property ; men

' of still in working order, and flows from a spot named Rds al-Manhi or Head where it branches Al-Manhf,' near Darwah Sarabam (fol. 77 b), to Hajar al-Lahun, Wort. out into the many canals which irrigate the Fayyum. See Yakut, Geogr. iii. al-Ittild' voc. i. vi. p. <\rr; Mardsid ad ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. 1 of That is of the Coptic, not of the Mahometan year, which consists 354 or, of twelve months in the intercalated years, of 355 days. The Coptic year consists Nissi. of thirty days each, with five or six additional days called 2 Here our author quotes Al-Kindi's Fadail Misr. Al-Makrizi says, quoting by name from the same book :

Hi J .Xfelj" Ju-o J^ l& sJ* U* rUM Ift^ l_jLauallj (j^ill r^j ^j ija ^j-J ^

' In the Fayyum there is common land in which none has the right of property whether Muslim or of the allied peoples; and all, both rich and poor, may

a share of it and it consists of more than sorts of land/ demand ; seventy Al-Kindi, followed by our author, is speaking of the different sorts of crops grown on the land. Seventy different crops seems a high number, unless every list of the variety is to be separately enumerated. Al-Makrizi gives a principal all the kinds of crops of Egypt, and names thirty-nine of them, without reckoning of each fruit-trees, and without counting all the different species and varieties genus. He names wheat, barley, beans, lentils, chick-peas, flat peas, flax, leeks, onions, garlic, lupins, water-melons, haricots, sesame, cotton, sugar-cane, colocasia, egg-plant, indigo, radish, turnip, lettuce, cabbage, vine, fig, apple, mulberry, almond, peach, apricot, date-palm, narcissus, jasmine, myrtle, beetroot, gillyflower, banana, cassia, lotus-tree. See the section entitled :

'Account of the different kinds of land in Egypt and of the various crops grown

. . ff. there,' in Khitat, ii. p. 1 h 2 52 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. it as they please, and to demand a share of it according to their circumstances, and the land is of seventy kinds. The revenue of the Fayyiim was estimated Ibn Tarkhan in the time of Kaffir al-Ustadh 1 by , Emir of Egypt, generally known by the appellation of Al-Ikhshidi, under the Abbaside 2 in the of dynasty , year the Arabs 2>55> when the revenue amounted to dinars 3 this 620,000 ; and equals the amount calculated to come from Ar-Ramlah 4 and Tiberias and Damascus.

1 Abu '1-Misk Kaffir al-Ustadh, or the eunuch, was the son of 'Abd Allah. He was a negro slave, sold, it is said for eighteen dinars, in a. h. 312 = a.d. 924 to Abfi Bakr Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid, governor of Egypt, who subsequently emancipated him and appointed him guardian over his two sons. When Al-Ikhshid died in a.h. 334 = a.d. 946, his eldest son Abfi '1-Kasim Anfijfir became ruler of Egypt, but the state was actually administered by Kaffir, who is known as Al-Ikhshidi on account of his having belonged to Al-Ikhshid. When Anfijfir died in a.h. 349= a.d. 960, his brother Abfi '1-Hasan 'Ah succeeded to the government of Egypt, and Kaffir acted as his lieutenant, as he had acted for his brother. 'Alt died in a.h. 355 = a.d. 966, and then Kaffir became uncontrolled ruler of as the son of 'Ali was too to and this state of affairs Egypt, young reign ; continued until the death of the negro in a.h. 357 = a.d. 968. Kaffir is celebrated as the most successful and powerful of all the black eunuchs who rose to eminence under Mahometan rule. The poet Al-Mutanabbi wrote in his praise. See Abfi '1-Mahasin, ed. Juynboll and Matthes, ii. pp. rvr-rir; Ibn al-Athir, viii. PM-Pri i. Ibn trans. pp. ; Al-Makrizi, Kkitat, p. rrl ; Khallikan, De Slane, ii. ii. 6 p. 524 ; As-Suyfiti, Hum al-Muhddarah, p. it . (A. J. B.) 2 The Abbaside caliph reigning at Bagdad in a.h. 355 = a. d. 966 was Al-Muti', who was proclaimed in a. h. 334=^. d. 946, and abdicated in a. h. 363 = a.d. 974. 3 This statement seems to be borrowed from Ibn Zfilak :

j^Uii.}!! C5AJ-M! c lc \Jv6 *y&\ jjiffi e^JJiCj j*l* \ja\ JJibJl ij (J^jj ^l JlSj

1 all \Ju>* ' all ijl<^ Ajl*iU Cw> aJU. isi ajl*JI usst i jwi ^jiJis-A i^-p ^..%i

' Ibn Zfilak says in Al-Kindi's book of information on the emirs of Egypt, that the Fayyfim was reckoned for Kaffir al-Ikhshidi in this year, namely the year 356, as yielding a revenue of more than 620,000 dinars.' (Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. rt^.) 4 I.e. Ar-Ramlah on the coast of Syria, a little to the south of Yafa or Joppa. THE FAYY&M. 53

There were in this province thirty-three monasteries within its borders. In the of Theodore 1 the in the order patriarchate , forty-fifth of succession, the name of the bishop of the Fayyum was Anba 2 the revenue received into the of the Abraham , and treasury govern-

1 Occupied the see from a.d. 727 to 737, Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 201 f. 2 The form is intended to the Ajt\j>\ , Afraham, reproduce Coptic pronunciation of the as v the Our author is here ..&.p

by certain bishops, and Al-Kasim the wall of Egypt :

V*>\ U-

8-Jls Ujj wXj> 2 sjufc ,jOj (| J- -^ eis-u.l f^y} 1-*-$ Jtsi a-o^-o e^iOj ij\jJ^\ ^

sJUil sulk; OaIJ 3 Ua- dU>l J*i' Ool J ^J>\ ijjt* U-Jj (c .! ^*j ^* [cJl Jlsj JUL>^)0

s-JI .LiJO ajUjlJJ iLo Jj,I sJ 3 xJ eU jAi^l sj} (k-^^-s Jlfii ^xj *-*-*]; .l u^-fi-M Jlii

Jjti LJLJLi^\ s- W" *!= J>J *.++u\ "** ^ (3 tJJl 9A3 u^ (jLs^-j d-oyjjl U^3 c/ -

SJJC iJ U,^a.U AjUlliJI &) (jO |j^) ^*.JJ ?^-y J^> (J^J ^oliAJ l&Ju^J ,Up ja3*\ Jlfti

' And the bishop Anba Abraham, bishop of the Fayyum, was present on matters of their business. And when we entered' the presence of Al-Kasim the next time, he called one of his odalisques who was from Western Africa, and he said " " to : This is and he laid the hand Anba Abraham thy daughter ; bishop's upon

her hand, for his heart was as the heart of children. And he said to the bishop : " Thou knowest that I have loved thee deeply since my father's time, and all that thou didst ask of my father I will do for thee." And the holy Abraham said to " " : dinars." him : It is good." So Al-Kasim continued I desire of thee 300 Then the archdeacon who accompanied the bishop, and whose name was Simeon, and who was afterwards found worthy to succeed him as bishop, came to him and 54 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. ment, from the crops grown on the lands of these monasteries, amounted to five hundred dinars yearly. 1 It is said in the Book of the Conquest of Egypt by the Muslims

" he said to him : Bring the 300 dinars." So he brought them and gave them to Al-Kasim. Now Anba Abraham had much money derived from church property; in his diocese in the and he was the for he had thirty-five monasteries, Fayyum ; of their and he was bound to a land-tax of dinars administrator goods ; pay 500 into the public treasury of the government on their account. He was the head of all of them, and the merchants of Egypt sold to him and bought from him.'

MS. in Bib. Nat. Paris, numbered Anc. Eonds Arabe 139, p. 142, lines 5-13. 1 By Ibn Abd al-Hakam, who probably wrote at the beginning of the third century of the Hegira, and who is the source from which subsequent historians drew. It is unfortunate that this work, which is still extant, has not been published. See

in die des vol. iii. article Zeitschr.fiir Kunde Morgenlandes, p. 329 ff., 1840, on Geschichte der miihammedanischen Eroberung Aegyptetis. Yakut quotes the passage of Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam as follows :

l_>Jii I sLuaJ ddi.1 0JI9 JL- dJU & :i i^j\\s>.L H-Jh-o V-aalrtC (jl 'Kjj tJjCjS (jyo yOA J^

L-S-\s JoaJJl LjIo ^Xa- sJiic s- j ^1 *4illii* |*4^1c ^13 {jj^f f*^^^ i^jJJiJj j-s-*Jj ^ jiocj ti Si*^s? ~5.li L dJjj 1*3**^ oot)j ^j ^j* lyila *^1 Jlsi j^J^o Sx\ Jyill bojIc

ajlet*' Iff J Z1 sJc^iit U aJLoj, oou Ujl. ->-*! ^i\ u*>o ,j! (*& .\; *^^ J^je,a!1 i^~>

eJAb ji) *lo ( i_ < ~-l^j Jl .itajJ AJjil \yai ,jl s-jj) J~> uj^/1 l^lai R-^J \\ ios-**^

Ok-iJlJ lil ^-9 iJ^>S 5 *^-x -^ ** ' ^^ do-Ui. .Jl J ^*?Jj (^* iS*"*" ^ v}^* J^3 **"3-2

^1 iLa.U y i3 jJL) lS.il C*i!i ^11 J Ijb V_JW ,*1^ ^a ^0 ^ji dJ^il l^l t_^;fl jU Iftl

.i^Ul ..a.* Is *hs? 1 ill .^* ^ Ja-03 ^ j^c JjL> Jaij ^j_iJL J ,j^l Jl isjli-o j*

^' ::-Jt-^1 Ksr })1 _Li ^ l^j-j (O-v^' ^^ W J^j ^3^* 3! ^j> ^* ^Aj r^ jjjj' 1*1-0

s-o-1 J Is sj;.L.c eUi dlUl Lftjl i__fi-oaJ Jlii s-iiJb. 5)1 ^0 Jl J eu^l ^ J..JO l^lai

IIS Is^* lb. l Jl >UJ^ ^ J^R.aJl Jcl ^ SSiU^ajsJ u l_A-ji Jl ^jls sJLsP"

1JS ^ 1>>j 1JS Jl a-oj-j. ^* l*^c W" "^j /-^-<> (Jl a^j-o ^ W^r- W^j >t^j.^

&C. Call Iji yjSb'HW Jl ^j^iil Jcl ^-0 ^^J.1 ^Ji* jks? J 2-^J A-y9 A-^-o

' 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Hakam says : I learnt from Hisham THE FAYYUM. 55 that the was known as the Waste it an outlet Fayyum Ground ; was for the waters of Upper Egypt. Joseph the Truthful dug the canal here, and brought the water through it, and the Nile began to flow into it. was of the of in the of 1 the Joseph age thirty years, reign Ar-Rayyan ,

ibn Ishak that when Joseph governed Egypt his dignity was increased by Pharaoh. And, when Joseph's age had passed a hundred years, the viziers of the kingdom said, "Joseph's understanding has decayed, and his reason is disturbed, and his wisdom is departed." But Pharaoh reprimanded them and denied their statements and softened down their words, and they refrained from repeating them. Then " after some years they repeated their charge, so Pharaoh said to them, Come, " suggest something by which we may try him ! Now in those days the Fayyum was called the Waste Land, and moreover it was an outlet for the superfluous waters of so all that this should be the test which to Upper Egypt ; they agreed by " try Joseph. So they said to Pharaoh, Desire Joseph to spread abroad the waters of the Waste Land, so that fresh territory may be added to your dominions " and fresh revenues to your revenues." So he called Joseph, and said, Thou knowest the of such an one I have determined she place my daughter ; when grows up to seek for her a city, and I have not found any for her except the Waste Land, which is a small town, near to us, but which cannot be reached from any part of Egypt except by passing through deserts and wildernesses up to this time. For the Fayyum is in the midst of Egypt as Egypt is in the midst of the countries, for Egypt cannot be reached from any part except by passing through deserts. I have settled this district upon my daughter. Do not therefore leave any means untried by which thou mayest gain thy object." So Joseph " answered, "Yea, O king, if this be thy desire I will perform it." Pharaoh said, The sooner it is done the better it will please me." Then an inspiration from God came to Joseph that he should dig three canals; one from the further part of Upper Egypt, from such a place to such a place, and one in the east from such a place to such a place, and one in the west from such a place to such a place. And Joseph disposed the workmen and dug the canal of Al-Manhi, from a point above Ushmunain to Al-Lahun.' Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. <\rr f. Cf. Al-Makrizi, Khttdt, i. p. rfo, where the same passage is quoted; As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhd- darah, i. p. ri . 1 Ar-Rayyan ibn Walid ibn Dauma' is the name given by most of the Arabian historians to the Pharaoh of Al-Makrizi that the Joseph ; although says Copts $6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

son of Dauma, surnamed Pharaoh, after the interpretation of the dream and the explanation of it. Pharaoh clothed Joseph with a robe of honour, and entrusted him with his signet-ring and with the administration of his kingdom.

Certain matters concerning Egypt.

1 Fol. 19 a The seventeenth section of the history of the church, and the of Anba Kha'il 2 the contains an biography , forty-sixth patriarch, estimate of the yearly revenues of Egypt, at the end of the caliphate of 3 the ' Ass of the last of the of the Marwan , War,' caliph dynasty 4 Omeyyads, and at the beginning of the caliphate of As-Saffah \Abd Allah, the Abbaside, which sets the amount carried into the 5 public treasury at 300,000 dinars, apart from the expenses .

called him Nahra'ush. It is impossible at the present day to say whence the names of the ancient Pharaohs found in Arab writers were derived; none of them seems to be known to Muhammad in the Koran. The names seem to have been borrowed by later writers from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, who was himself indebted to Ibn Ishak.

1 The seventeenth section of the patriarchal biographies compiled by Severus of Ushmunain begins with the life of Kha'il, the forty-sixth patriarch. Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, pp. 140 and 141, line 17. 2 Occupied the see from a. d. 743 to 766 according to Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 203-236. The name J^jU*., Kha'il, is an abbreviated form of J^jls^*, Mikhail or Michael. Another form of the name is JW, Khayal. The biography of Michael, included in the history of the patriarchs compiled by Severus of Ushmunain, is one of the most important parts of that work, and is the contemporary composition of John the Deacon, who was an eyewitness of many of die events which he relates. See MS. Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, pp. 140-191. 3 This caliph, the second of his name, is referred to several times in the present work. He reigned from a.h. I26-I33 = a. d. 744-751. See Introduction. 4 The first of the Abbaside caliphs, who overthrew the Omeyyad dynasty. Reigned a.h. 133-137 = a. d. 75i"755- 5 Our author is referring to the following passage in the biography of Michael,

which narrates events that occurred shortly after the death of Marwan :

dX.Ll! 8-J1 3^ 1^ .iljo.^1 iÛUaal Sso c.lflj.1 _ôxJ fr^ ^_J uâloJl eyliiij \ j-oa ^0. CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT. tf

The first worshippers of idols were the people of Egypt and Babylon, and the Franks and the people of the sea-coast. In the days of Kuhtan, the son of Falik, the father of the Arabs, men made likenesses of all that were renowned for virtue, and of good repute, and famous for valour and beauty of form, and worshipped their images. Abu Naitur 1 the fourth son of the , Noah, learnt, through inspi- 2 ration of God, the science of the sphere , and the art of reckoning it by years, months, days, and hours, and the like. Afterwards 3 Nimrod the giant learnt from him, and composed books on the science of it the sphere, and on reckoning ; and men wondered at the wisdom which he showed in his books, and copied them after him, so that Ardashir envied him ; and Nimrod also served Satan, and fasted for him, and offered sacrifice to him, and burnt incense to him, and humbled himself before him. Therefore Satan appeared to and him 4 and how to raise false and him, taught magic , phantoms ;

' The revenues of Egypt, after deducting the pay of the troops and the expenses of the governor's house and what was needed for the administration of the country, amounted to 200,000,000 dinars carried yearly to the public treasury.' MS. A?ic.

Fonds Arahe 139, p. 180, line 25, p. 181, lines 1, 2. The figures have been altered. 1 AbO. Naitur is not elsewhere mentioned. 2 I.e. astronomy. As it is well known, the Arabs derived their first knowledge of astronomy from the Arabic translation, made by order of the caliph Ma'miln. of the Almagest of Ptolemy, and it is from that work that the term dLU = o-tyalpa is borrowed.

The attribution of a knowledge of astronomy to Nimrod is based on a genuine tradition of the devotion of the ancient Babylonians to that science. Haji Khalfah remarks upon the use made by Ptolemy in the Almagest of the work

of Chaldaean i. astronomers; Lex. bibliogr. (ed. Fluegel) p. 71. Many legends are related of Nimrod, the 'Enemy of God,' by the Arab historians, and he is alluded to in the Koran, following Jewish tradition, as the persecutor of Abraham. See Ibn a al-Athir, Al-Kdmil, i. p. i ff. 4 The Mahometans consider Babylon to have been the original home of

i [II. 7.] 58 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

revealed to him the of the stars and the learnt worship ; Nimrod giant 1 from Satan the doctrine of Taghut . Nimrod was the first who wore 2 Pol. 19 b a crown of gold, set with jewels, and put on purple robes, and showed himself in such guise. Section referring to the distinguished men of Egypt, and to the wonders which are to be found there. Among the former were Moses and Aaron his brother, and Miriam their sister, who were born at Askar 3 in the of Sinai with , region Egypt. On Mount God spoke

Moses : and Moses struck with his rod.

magic, which was taught to men there by the two evil angels Harut and Marut (see Surat al-Bakarah, 96), who still hang head downwards among the ruins of

the great city. 1 An idol of the ancient of Stirat Arabs Mecca ; see Koran, al-Bakarah, 257, 259, where the religion of Taghut is placed in antithesis to the true religion of Islam. Cf. Surat al-Maidah, 65. 2 Eutychius reports this legend, in speaking of the time of Abraham :

i+2j tsU-o dJU wl dib> J^Jo^)l ^->Jj J>.W*. Jjl J^fiJj Jj^. XJr *3j+> u V^ l#

lj_4 juJ, As. S-J liJLs L-jls.*** U J! .J ^jl5 J.s.1 ^*j &Jt^jjo J-^-^ fib* ^JJ j-o

' In his time lived Nimrod the giant, king of Babylon. It is said that he was the first who in and he saw in the the likeness of a crown king reigned Babylon ; sky formed of clouds so he called a a for and ; goldsmith, who fashioned crown him, he put it upon his head. For this reason men said that a diadem descended upon

him i. Cf. Bodl. Or. from heaven.' Eutychius, Annales (ed. Pococke), p. 62. MS. 294, p. 60. The \1*. to in Genesis x. epithet , 'giant,' corresponds "lis? 8, 9. Some of these legends of Nimrod may be looked upon as genuine traditions of the ancient culture of Babylonia. 3 This was a well-known town, two days to the south of Al-Fustat, in the province of Al-Itfihiyah. Many of the Muslims, as well as the Christians, accepted the tradition that Moses was born there; see Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. ror;

ii. Ibn iv. of Al-Makrizi Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. oiy ; Dukmak, p. irr. The MSS.

write the name as . fij^\ Askar still exists in the district of Itfih in the of see Rec. province Al-Jizah ;

de I'Egypte, ii. p. 51. CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT. 59

In Egypt Moses divided the sea, and performed the ten miracles. Joseph the Truthful 1 ruled over Egypt. 2 In also is the Here is the and the Egypt palm-tree. Holy Valley , fissure s the birds of that on of the Abii Kzr , to which species go pilgrimage every year. One bird is caught in this fissure, and remains hanging there until the winds blow it to pieces. In this country also is the Halt al-Ajiiz*, from Al-'Arish to Aswan; which is sometimes called Ha it al-Hujiiz.

1 This is a constant epithet of Joseph among the Mahometans, and originated in the Koran, Surah Yiisuf> ver. 51 :

' The wife of Al-'Aziz said : Now the truth is made manifest. It was I who tempted him to sin. Surely he is one of the truthful.'

Compare ver. 46 : - ---.- 0~ - O -. ;owui 'ui^ 9909

' O Joseph the Truthful ! teach us with regard to the seven fat kine,' &c. 2 I can only conjecture that this may mean the Wadi Natrun or Wadi Habib, the ancient Nitrian valley, so famous in the annals of monasticism. 3 This legend of the Abukir birds is found in most of the Arab historians who have written on Egypt; see Quatremere, Mem. Hist, et Ge'ogr. i. p. 32, where our author is is to quoted among others. The fissure said by our author (fol. 86 b) be on the Jabal al-Kahf. Other writers say the Jabal at-Tair, the well-known hill which still bears the name, on the Nile, opposite Samallut and Taha. As-Suyuti, who reckons the Jabal at-Tair as one of the twenty wonders of Egypt, on account of these birds, describes them thus :

Is:*-^! i sUal Ja-u J.^lJi e^Wa* ^Ut^l Jj-j (jl>

' They are piebald, with black necks, striped on the breast, with black tips to their wings.' Husn at-Muhadarak, i. p. ri.

Al-Makrizi that the had ceased in his time. ii. o.r f. says prodigy Khitat, p. ;

i. cf. p. r 1 .

4 ' ' Wall of the old woman,' also called Jisr al-'Ajiiz, dyke of the old woman.' It still exists in portions near Jabal at-Tair, near Kusiyah, and at other places.

' ' The old woman is said by some writers to be Dalukah (see fol. 70 b), who

i 2 60 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

' In the river Nile there is a fish, which is called the thunder-fish V

Even if a strong man places his hand upon it, his strength will not prevent him from receiving a shock through his body, and his arm will remain thunderstruck and will be paralysed during the space of an hour. In this country is the meeting-place of the two seas, which is called 2 here the two seas one another. Between them the Isthmus ; approach 3 are two dykes . The two seas are the sea of the Romans and the sea 5 4 is a of one from both of of the Chinese ; and the dyke journey night

reigned over Egypt in remote antiquity. The purpose of the wall is said to have been to defend Egypt from her enemies. Another story makes the old woman build the wall to prevent the lions from coming down to the Nile to drink, in revenge for the death of her son, who had been devoured by a lion. See

Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. \\,\ Al-Makrizi, Khitdt, i. p. n; As-Suyuti, Hum al-Muhddarah, i. p. rl. Our author, on fol. 57 b, makes Cleopatra the builder of the Ha it al-Ajuz, which extended not only from Al-'Arish or Al-Farama to Aswan on the eastern bank of the Nile, but also from Nubia to Alexandria on the western bank.

In these statements he follows Eutychius, Annates (ed. Pococke), i. p. 301. The statement of Diodorus that Sesostris built a wall 1,500 stades in length, to on the east from the the is well known see protect Egypt Syrians and Arabs, ;

Diod. Sic, Bibl. Hist. bk. i. cap. 57. 1 I.e. the electric eel, gymnotus electricus, the properties of which are well known. They were much celebrated by Arabic writers on Egypt. See Yakut,

Geogr. Wort. iv. p. aii; Abu '1-Mahasin, op. cit. i. p. r\; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. 11; Al-Mas'udi, Muruj adh-Dhahab, ii. pp. 392-3; 'Abd al-Latif, Mukhtasar (ed. White), p. 82. 2 I.e. Isthmus of Suez. This passage is partly repeated on fol. 58 a. 3 to the north of is still called The high ground Lake Timsah Al-Jisr t

' the dyke.' 4 Our author here treats the Red Sea as part of the Indian Ocean, and the latter as part of the China Sea. 5 On fol. 58 a the distance between the two seas, which is about eighty miles, is given as a day and a night's journey, and Al-Makrizi makes it the same. Yakut and the Mardsid al-Ittila make it four days. CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT. 61

1 2 them, between Al-Kulzum and Al-Farama . In no other country do seas nearer to one another than at this for in the the approach place ; east there is a journey of several months between them. There is no country in the world in which the people eat fresh fish from both seas, except Egypt.

1 The Greek and Coptic KXuo-/xa, kXycJUI

*U *U>I ^J\ JLil Jc lHj~ (j^ ^r>. J^ ^y>

' ^ M' 6 w'~ u**" (** cir o**i? ij" (&/"j U***^ of* r*j J^ tr^ \j*$ ^$*j

'Water is conveyed to them in boats; and from a place called Suwais (Suez), at a distance of one discoloured water is carried to them camels post, bad, upon ; so that one of their proverbs says : The people of Al-Kulzum receive their provisions from Bilbais, and their drink from Suwais, and they eat the flesh of the Tats

(wild goat)' (ed. De Goeje), p. 196. This passage was not made use of by Quatremere in his discussion of the position of Al-Kulzum, Mem. Hist, et Ge'ogr. i. pp. 1 51-189. The distance of one post or about twelve miles is too great, as the ruins of Al-Kulzum are placed by Niebuhr about one mile to the north of Suez. See also Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 1 oa; Mardsid al-IttiW (ed. Juynboll), ad voc; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [p. 49]; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. nr. The last of these writers says that in his day Al-Kulzum was ruined and its

site was known as Suez. This is inaccurate, as it has just been shown. 2 The classical Pelusium, and the Coptic nepeJULOY n, near the north-eastern frontier of cf. fol. b. It has now with the of Egypt ; 56 disappeared, exception

some mounds and broken columns. See. Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. aai~; Al-

Mukaddasi (ed. De Goeje), p. no; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. mi; Amelineau,

Ge'ogr. p. 317 f. Al-Makrizi reckons the ancient remains at Al-Farama among the wonders of

see i. ri . Egypt ; Khitat, p. It was at Al-Farama that the first engagement took place between the Arabs and Egyptians when 'Amr invaded Egypt in a. h. 18; see As-Suyuti, Husn 5 al-Muhddarah, i. p. rt . M. Ame'lineau does not explain why he adopts the form El-Ferma. 6z CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

In this brocaded stuffs are of Tinnis 1 and country made: gauze ,

2 2, shard' , a stuff used for tents, and coloured Dabiki ; and there is no

1 The fine tissues of Tinnis are much celebrated by Arab historians and geographers. Ibn Haukal, who wrote in a. h. 367 = a. d. 978, says of Tinnis and Damietta :

i>l U iJLllj c i \^\Si

' In these two cities are manufactured fine DabiM and shard and splendid dyed

' garments, the equals of which in beauty and price do not exist in the whole world

(ed. De Goeje, p. 1 .1).

Al-Makrizi i. {Khitat, p. ui) says that the veils for the Ka'bah were made at Tinnis from the early times of Islam, and he describes some of the designs upon them. These manufactures ceased when the people of Tinnis were removed to Damietta in a. h. 588 = a. d. 1192, and only the citadel remained inhabited. The foundation of the stuffs of Tinnis is said to have been linen (Ibn Haukal, loc. with silk cit.), which was interwoven. Cf. Quatremere, Mem. Hist, et Ge'ogr. i. ff. Al-Idrisi i. pp. 308, 309, 327 ; (trans. Jaubert), p. 320. 2 A precious tissue; see Glossary to De Goeje's Bibliotheca Geog. Arab. p. 272. 3 Al-Makrizi says :

*jU*JU aAJu.11 LjLill v_-a~~> JLo ajJ ^JLojJIj Jojlil <*Pj^\ I4JI ijJs ^

ijlo i*lc a*ajl I Jl I c^i I4JLX. Jb JjL (jjXij I4J J*jo i^-iJI *jUjJI ojISj 1^*4 JUJI

AjU^x.3. Aolx!\ xi-^^j eyU^i J5'j J~~J

*""*' JA (jl jjl AjLibj (jtv^j (_>***" ?">\ r?. **^M Rr*-^ i*y (i ^*/^3 *jUJ1 OoXa-j

' Dabik is a town in the neighbourhood of Damietta, which gives its name to the sumptuous robes and the dyed turbans of sharb, and the trimmings of Dabiki interwoven with Turbans of interwoven with gold. sharb, gold, were made there ; each turban being 100 cubits in length, and bearing designs woven with gold of the value of 500 dinars, without reckoning the price of the silk and the linen thread. These turbans and the rest were brought into fashion in the time of Al-'Aziz bi son 'llah, of Al-Muizz, who reigned from the year 365 (a.d. 975) until he died in the of in the d. month Sha'ban, year 386 (a. 996).' Khitat, i. p. rri. CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT. 63 stuff, not interwoven with gold, of which garments are made, of the value 1 of 100 dinars, except the stuffs of Tinnis and Damietta, and Al- % . and Manhab (?) and Sikillt The Egyptians make woollen garments, robes of goats' hair of Samalus, which are not to be found anywhere Fol. 20 a in the world except in Egypt. The natives of this country can boast of the wonderfully prolific nature of their horses, mules, and asses. They

in Cf. Quatremere, Me'm. i. p. 340, where this passage is translated Quatremere's usual loose manner. Barjawan, a black eunuch and vizier to the Fatimide caliph Al-Aziz bi'llah, left at his death in a. h. 390 = a. d. iooo, one thousand pairs of trousers of the stuff called DabiM; see Ibn Khallikan. The name DabiM was extended to other brocades or damasks besides those of actually made at Dabik, and was applied to the fabrics of Usyut and even Bib. places beyond the borders of Egypt; see Glossary to De Goeje's Geogr.

Arab. p. 232.

ii. of a Mardsid al-Iltild' ad voc. Al-Idrisi See also Yakut, Geogr. Wort. p. ; ;

(trans. Jaubert), i. p. 320. The town of Dabik no longer exists. 1 Al-Makrizi likewise says :

Aio ajU i ^J a &-*- L \^s- i_**i ^i-> ?r- j j ^j*-^ AWj u ^y j\r -^' ^j lt-^J

' There is no brocade in the world with a foundation of linen, of which a single of 100 dinars in garment, not interwoven with gold, fetches a price cash, except

i. the brocade of Tinnis and Damietta.' Khitat, p. 1 w.

i. the mistake of b5 Cf. Quatremere, Mem. p. 308, who makes translating u by ' in which cotton.' Al-Makrizi says that the robes made at Tinnis for the caliph, worth dinars a and a large quantity of gold was employed, were 1,000 piece; or that the sale of these fabrics at one time brought in a yearly receipt of 20,000 30,000 dinars from Al-'Mk alone. Cf. Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i. p. 320. 2 from the I. e. Sicilian tissue. As in many other cases, a name derived place even when the where the material was originally manufactured is retained, also made in manufacture is no longer confined to that place Sikilli was Spain. \fo and rri. See Al-Mukaddasi (ed. De Goeje), pp. 64 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. have the 1 and the emerald-mines 2 and red and ochre gold-mines , yellow ;

1 In the Wadi 'l-'Alaki, which lies to the south-east of Aswan, in the country of the Bajjah or Bisharis. The mines have not been worked for many centuries, but were known in the time of Rameses II. See Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i. pp. 36,

i. 1 1 1

ii. first an extract from Al-Makrizi i. {Mem. p. 73 if.) He quotes [Khitat, p. rrr), who copies however from Al-Mas'udi, and Al-Mas'udi's informant was 'Abd ar-Rahim, sometime government clerk at the mines. The mines are said to lie in the midst of a waterless desert at Kharbah, a place seven days' journey to the south-east from Kus or Kift, the nearest town on the Nile. They are in a mountain range in the territory of the Bajjah, north of the great peak called Karkashandah. Various names are given of the different species of gems obtained, and the estimation in which the several sorts of emerald are held in different countries is

stated. Al-Makrizi adds that the mines were regularly worked till about 1358 a.d., when the vizier 'Abd Allah ibn Zanbur put a stop to the mining. But it is related that Ibrahim Pasha, who governed Egypt about the end of the tenth century of the

' Hegira, in travelling through Upper Egypt, came to a place called the well of emeralds,' whence he took a vast number of gems. Prosper Alpinus mentions a well of emeralds, which produced a famous stone belonging to the Grand

Seigneur. Maillet states that the situation of the mine is lost : while Bruce

{Voyage to the Sources of the Nile, vol. i. p. 229) speaks of a Jebel ez-Zumurrud or Emerald Mountain, which he visited, and where he saw several sinkings or shafts. But as this mountain lay in an island, it cannot be (concludes Quatremere) the emerald-mine which Oriental writers agree in placing on the continent. So far Quatremere. But the mistake of Bruce, whose island was probably that of Zabargad, led to the rediscovery of the lost mines in 18 19 by a French explorer named Cailliaud. The results of his visit were published in a large work the the ruler of by French Academy ; and Egypt, Muhammad 'Ali, was so convinced of the value of the mines that he sent a number of miners to work

them under Cailliaud's supervision. Cailliaud, however, seems to have spent but a short time at the work, before he was called away to join Ibrahim Pasha's expedition to the Soudan. From that time provisions ceased to arrive for the colony of miners, who gradually melted away, and the place was once more abandoned. So it remained till 1891, when Mr. Floyer, an Englishman in CERTAIN MATTERS CONCERNING EGYPT. 65

1 and marcasite of gold, silver, and copper; and the Lake of Nitre, and command of an expedition sent by the Khedive Taufik, once more set foot on Jebel Zabara. For an account of this visit and for many topics of surpassing interest in relation to the desert between the Nile of Upper Egypt and the Red Sea, I refer the reader to M. Floyer's learned and ingenious work, Etude stir le Nord-Etbai (Le Caire, Imprimerie Nationale, 1893).

See also Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. Piv; Al-Makrizi, Khi'tat, i. p. iip, and

Al-Idrfsi (ed. Rome) [p. 22]. (A. J. B.) 1 Mr. Fisher, of Oxford, has kindly supplied me with the following note on this mineral :

' The term marcasite is now used by mineralogists for one species of pyrites, but was at one time of wider signification, and synonymous with pyrites in It is a of iron with general. compound essentially sulphur (FeS 2 ), containing 46-7 per cent, of iron and 53-3 per cent, of sulphur, but the forms found in nature contain other metals such as &c. arsenic also is copper, gold, silver, tin, ; commonly present. In colour it varies from a brass-like or golden appearance to " a silvery white, and is usually glistening and metallic-looking. Marcasite of " gold may have reference to its appearance, or to the fact that gold could be extracted from the specimens so named. The synonyms are numerous, e. g. anhos,

7TvplrT]s (\l6os), marchasita (Arab.), kis (Germ.) or kies, mundic (English miners), schwefelkies (Germ.), besides xanthopyrites, chalcopyrites. The name marcasite or marchasite is of Spanish or Arabic origin. When weathered by exposure to air and water it produces sulphate of iron (and copper), termed at one time kupferwasser, which is perhaps corrupted into copperas in the vulgar tongue.

' On account of the large amount of sulphur the mineral is combustible (whence the name pyrites from nvp), and gives sparks when struck.' The word UuASt* seems to have come into the Arabic from the Syriac Jk.A.ia., which translates the Greek nvpiTrjs (Bar Bahlul). The medicinal use of marcasite was borrowed by the Arabs from the Greeks (Dioscorides, ed. Spengel, i. t. t. p. 8io=v. 142 ; Galen, opp. 13, p. 740; 12, p. 199; Pliny, 36, 19, 30, &c.) The a chemical of marcasite see Arab Gebr ( Jabir al-Kufi) gives analysis ; Mangeti, Bib. C/iem. i; cf. Wiistenfeld, Gesch. der arab. Aerzte, p. 12 f. Ibn

' al-Baitar says : Marcasite is sometimes gold, sometimes silver, sometimes copper, is sometimes iron : each kind resembles in colour that metal after which it named and each kind is mixed with and out when struck ; sulphur gives sparks

k [TT. 7.] 66 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OE EGYPT.

1 which is called the salt lakes . In Egypt is found the clay of Aswan, to contain the drink the 'clay of art,' and of this the jars intended 2 3 of white exists here called fukka are made. The manufacture paper ; 4 factories for boiling sugar are found here; and presses for sugar- rice 5 and oil of 6 and and oil of canes; and fields of ; turnip radish; 7 and 8 and the abramis* and balsam ; opium honey-wine.

the article Sadebek and against iron.' This paragraph is based upon by Hoffmann, ' Ueber den Namen Markasit/ in the Nenes Jahrbuch fiir Mineralogie, Stuttgart,

1878, p. 289 ff. The word 'marcasite' must have come into the other European languages through Latin translations of Arabic medical works, or through the Spanish mar- caxita, modern marquesita; see Dozy and Engelmann, Glossaire des mots espagnols et portugais derives de I'arabe, p. 301. (A. J. B.) 1 The salt lakes in the Wadi Natrun or Nitrian Valley, which lie about three of are still a source of days' journey through the desert to the north-west Cairo, revenue to the Egyptian government. There are other salt lakes in the Delta

and Upper Egypt. (A. J. B.) 2 A kind of beer made of fruit. 3 The Arabs first learnt the manufacture of paper about a.d. 750, probably from the Chinese, and the first place at which it was made by Muslims was Samarcand. The manufacture soon spread to other parts of the Mahometan world. See Mittheilungen aus der Sammlung der Papyrus Erzherzog Rainer, vol. ii. pp. 87-255, where there is a full discussion of the history and composition of Arab paper. There was a street and a khan of the paper-makers at Cairo, and

a mill in the latter of these places; see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. pp. 1 ., rr. Buri near Damietta was famous for paper, which was also made in the Fayyum. The chief constituent was linen.

4 Al-Makrizi gives an account of the method of cultivating the sugar-cane in

in his time see i. i . r . The use of in Egypt ; Khitat, p. sugar Egyptian cookery is described by 'Abd al-Latif, Al-Mukhtasar, ed. White, pp. 178-182. The sugar- factories of were numerous Ibn at the end of the fourteenth Egypt very ; Dukmak, century, names sixty-five of them in Cairo alone, from many of which the

derived a revenue see cit. iv. Fi . government large ; op. p. 5 that rice used in with meat and fish 'Abd al-Latif says was much cookery ;

op. cit. p. 184. It was introduced into Egypt under the Mahometans. e 7 8 9 Yor these notes see next page. THE NILE. 6 j

The Nile.

10 the Nile of is one of the miracles at which the Moreover, Egypt , of the earth marvel hear of them for it rises at the people when they ;

6 'Abd al-Latif, who was a contemporary of our author, says of the Egyptians :

*i. sj 11 2 u 5 J-?*- **^ U^ _^L-*j ^j^^-j yJJj j^Mj ;y>. ^ jrl/* tiy^-j

,ji->-}t .fi

' They have a peculiar custom also of extracting oil from the seed of the radish and the and the and this oil burn for and turnip lettuce, they light ; they make soap of it also : and their soap is moist, and red, yellow, or green in colour/ c ( Abd al-Latif, op. cit., ed. White, p. 176.) 7 'Abd al-Latif also mentions oil of balsam among the products of Egypt, and that it was made at 'Ain Shams in that says only (Heliopolis) country ; remarking that no balsam was to be found in his day in Syria, where Galen and Nicolaus say that it grew in the greatest perfection; op. cit. pp. 22-26. See also Butler,

Coptic Churches, ii. p. 331. (A. J. B.) 8 al-Latif that 'Abd says opium was made from the black poppy ((jils^-il

in often cit. $yjft) Upper Egypt, and was adulterated; op. p. 48. 9 The abramfc was a fish found in the Nile. It is curious that our author should place it here among the vegetable products. Al-Idrisi says that the abramis has a red tail, is called the king of fish, is very good to eat, and is a hand's breadth in length, and half that measure in thickness; see Jaubert's trans., p. 29. The name of this fish is derived from the Greek afipapis, which occurs in Oppian's

Halieutica, i. 244-7 :

^ok/ciSes nil dpiaaai re /ecu d^papl8cs (popeovrai

aXXore 8' aXXov ddpoai, aX6$ iropov, f/ irep\ irerpas t f) neXdyr/, SoXt^oicri ineftpapov alyiaXoirriv,

alev apeiftopevai elvr)V 68ov, ijiir dXr/rai.

10 Nile reckoned to be of the wonders of The was naturally one twenty Egypt ;

see Husn i. P. i. ri . The As-Suyuti, al-Muhddarah, p. ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. following passage is a commonplace found in slightly different words in most ancient writers who have written on Egypt; see Herodotus, ii. 25, 26; Diodorus Siculus, i. 36; Strabo, xvii. 1; Heliodorus, Aethiopica, cap. 28; 'Abd al-Latif,

ff. i. 0. ff. See fol. 26 b. p. 4 ; Al-Makrizi, p. below, k 2 68 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

time of the great decrease of water, when other rivers and springs fall or and its rise comes at the time it is dry up ; very when needed, and so likewise its fall comes when it is needed, by the special care of God for the inhabitants of Egypt. After the decrease of the Nile the wells

rise, and the time of sowing depends upon it, and not upon the rains. The Nile flows continually down to the salt sea, and cleaves its way through it visibly. God has of the Nile of the of his spoken Egypt by tongues prophets ; ' for Isaiah the prophet says : God shall bless the people of Egypt, and those whom his hands created in Al-Mausil V

' The Gospel also says : The angel of the Lord appeared in " Fol. 20 b a dream, and said : Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee into 2 the land of Egypt, and be there until I bring thee word ." And the Lord Christ and his mother, the Pure Virgin, and the blameless old man, Joseph, dwelt two years in Egypt. And in the prophecy of Hosea, as the pure Gospel bears witness, ' 3 it is said : From Egypt have I called my Son .'

Sojourners in Egypt.

That which causes Egypt to excel other countries is the sojourn in this land of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the flesh, with the Pure Lady 4 and the truthful old the the command Mary , man, Joseph carpenter, by of and also the at Alexandria of the 5 God ; sojourn Mark Evangelist ,

1 Isaiah xix. 25. Al-Mausil, Mosul or Moussol, being opposite the ruins as ' Nineveh.' of Nineveh, was often confused with the latter city, and spoken of Moreover the of Al-Mausil forms of what was once the territory ( J^U ^S) part ' kingdom of Assyria, and so the name was used as synonymous with Assyria.'

Cf. e.g. Al-Masudi, Mur&j adh-Dhahab (ed. Barbier de Meynard), ii. 77 :

123d* (,/jJLjO 0-X*5 J"*^

' The kings of Al-Mausil and of the city of Nineveh.' 2 3 Matt. ii. 13. Hosea xi. 1, and Matt. ii. 15. 4 is it occurs Sj.^j\ or fl^X* the Syriac tt~.i~ wij-aa, 'my Lady Mary;' constantly in this work as the appellation of the Blessed Virgin. The Copts have, as it is well known, unanimously preserved the tradition, SOJOURNERS IN EGYPT. 69 who was the nephew of Stephen, the chief of the deacons, and first of the martyrs in Jerusalem. 1 also came into Some of the pure patriarchs Egypt ; namely, Abraham, of and the son of who lived here seventeen the Friend God ; Jacob, Isaac, died and whose was taken back to and the years and here, body Syria ; fathers of the twelve tribes, who were his sons. The posterity of the latter in Egypt increased to the number of six hundred thousand five souls 2 the descendants of the Truthful hundred and fifty , including Joseph 3 and his sons Manasseh and Ephraim, without reckoning the sons of Levi, whose number amounted to twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three souls. Joseph died in Egypt, and his body was carried 4 into and Moses and at his . Syria ; prayed worshipped prison Among those who dwelt in Egypt were Moses, and Aaron his brother, and their sister Miriam. Lot also, the son of Abraham's entered this and the son of Nun and the Fol. 21 a brother, country ; Joshua ;

also found in Greek and Latin ecclesiastical writers, that St. Mark was the founder of the church of Egypt, and the first bishop of Alexandria. The Arabic Lives of the Patriarchs, by Severusof Al-Ushmunain, begins with an account of the of St. Mark see British MS. Or. Cf. the episcopate ; Museum 26,100, pp. 16-23. old Greek diptychs preserved in MSS. of the Coptic Liturgy of St. Cyril, which give a list of the bishops of Alexandria beginning with St. Mark (jULDaniel, Jeremiah, Jesus; see Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. n . 2 Cf. Numbers i. 46, 47. 3 I have here dislocated the translation in order to avoid an awkward parenthesis. 4 See above, fol. 17 b. The tradition among both Christians and Muslims was that Moses visited the prison of Joseph at Busir, and consequently there was here a mosque erected in the name of Moses, and called Masjid Miisd ; see

Wort. iii. t*v i. r.v . Yakut, Geogr. p. ; Al-Makrizi, p. 70 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Daniel 1 and the Ezekiel besides prophet prophet Jeremiah, and ; others, kings, great men, wise men and philosophers, captains and rulers, in all 2 ages and all times .

Boundaries of Egypt.

c 3 The furthest of the land of on the east is and point Egypt Abbasah , C on the west Alexandria. Its is Al- 4 5 greatest length from Arish to 'Aidhab ,

1 It is not clear when Daniel and Ezekiel are thought to have visited Egypt, unless they came in the train of Nebuchadnezzar, of whose invasion of Egypt the Mahometan and Christian historians of the East clear records see preserve very ; below, fol. 23b, 76b, 80a. As-Suyuti says:

L_ 3 ja+\ j5j ^^3 0^3) ^ s^j u^ J^ J^ l^ *** ^ (k J^- ^3 ' With regard to Daniel I have not, up to the present time, met with any record his in but Ibn Zulak counts him those that [of sojourn Egypt] ; among were born

in i. rr Egypt.' (Husn al-Muhddarah, p. .) 2 The lists of distinguished visitors to Egypt given by the Mahometan historians remind us of the similar lists in Diodorus (i. 96). As-Suyuti gives the names of many Greek philosophers and writers who sojourned in Egypt, whom are and Aristotle see among Plato, Hippocrates, Ptolemy, Aratus, Euclid, ;

Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. ri f. 3 A small town on the Syrian frontier of Egypt, fifteen parasangs from Cairo. It is said, among other accounts, to have been named after a daughter of Ahmad ibn Tulun. It is now included in the district of Sawalah, in the province of

See Wort. iii. oil i. rrr Ash-Sharkiyah. Yakut, Geogr. p. ; Al-Makrizi, p. ; Quatre-

Mem. i. Rec. de ii. mere, pp. 62, 189 ; ttgypte, p. 3. (A. J. B.) 4 The classical Rhinocolura a ancient the ; very town on sea, near the Syrian frontier of Egypt. It is now the seat of a governor, and in 1885 contained with its inhabitants. See Wort. iii.

ii. i. . r 1 f. i. Rec. de p. iFv; Al-Makrizi, p. ; Quatremere, Mem. p. 53; VEgypte, ii. pp. x, xi, 20. (A. J. B.) 5 On the Red Sea, opposite Jiddah, and near the frontier of the Bisharin tribes. There was a road to it from Kift (see fol. 103 a) and Kus; and from a. h. 450 = a. d. 1058 to a. h. 665 = a. d. 1 267 this was the route taken by the on their pilgrims way to Mecca. 'Aidhab was .also a port much frequented by merchants from India and Yemen,, until the middle of the fourteenth century THE CITY OF FUSTAT MISR. 71

1 2 and its greatest breadth from Barkah to Ailah . It is said that Barkah is also called 'the Five Cities.'

The City of Fustat Misr.

3 Account of the city of Misr . It is related, in the history of the 4 e church and the lives of the that 'Amr ibn al- patriarchs , Asi, and the Arabs who invaded Egypt with him, took the road from the mountains

of our era. M. Ame'lineau, who speaks as if the Synaxarium and the revenue-list alone preserved the name of this important town, seems to have overlooked

Quatremere's account of it, as well as Al-Makrizi's, which proves that Aidhab was existing not only at the end of the fourteenth century, as the revenue-list published by De Sacy shows, but as late as the middle of the fifteenth century, although it was then in a state of decadence, and no more than a village of huts. See

Wort, ad voc. i. Al-Idrisi Yakut, Geogr. ; Al-Makrizi, p. r.r; (ed. Rome) [p. 49]; Quatremere, Mem. ii. pp. 162-172, where Ibn Haukal and Abu '1-Fida are also cited. M. Amelineau (Geogr. p.160) would identify 'Aidhab with Berenice or Myoshormos, the former of which is probably correct, the latter being absolutely out of the question. 1 The name of a town and district to the west of Alexandria, corresponding to the classical Barca or Pentapolis, which latter appellation is translated by the Arabic Xo ' the Five Cities.' The was u u^+h* , province not, strictly speaking, part of Egypt. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. ovr; Al-Makin, Tarikh al-Muslimin, ad ann. 27. 2 A small town on the shore of the Gulf of Suez, and on the borders of Syria and the Hedjaz. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. prr; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome)

[p. 123 f.]; Al-Makrizi, i. p. up. ' 3 ' Misr here denotes the city of Al-Fustat or Fustat Misr, the remains of which are now called Masr al-'Atikah, and incorrectly named by foreigners

' Old Cairo.' The city was founded by 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, the Arab conqueror of Egypt, in a. h. 20 = a. d. 641, and remained the capital of the country until it was superseded by the suburb of Al-'Askar, which was founded to the north of it. 4 Our author is quoting loosely from the biography of the patriarch Benjamin, in Severus' history of the patriarchs : 72 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. until reached a built of stone 1 between and they fortress, , Upper Egypt 2 3 the . their Delta , which was called Bablun Here they pitched tent, and all of them prepared to meet the Romans and to fight with them. And they called that place 'Al-Fustat' in their language; and the meaning of this word is ' The Tent.' In this way the Arabs called the Fort of Ash-Shama 4 at Misr ' Fustat Bablun.'

(fitfi J ili'lflU dU* *$:ib jt&\ (JLcl A-j^U \y* *4j1 *^l*"j +jj)\ \j*>j> Jfa. *&>^p- *a Jolkfl!l Job u"y\ s^-ujI ^j

' Then [the Arabs] crossed the hills until they arrived at a fort built of stone, between Upper Egypt and the Delta, which was called Bablun, and there they pitched their tents, that they might prepare to fight with the Romans. Then they named that that is to the Bablun Fustat in their and place, say fort, language ; that is its name at the present time.' (Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 105, lines 12-14.) 1 The Roman fortress referred to is built with alternate courses of stone and and has stone over the so that the use of stone brick, pediments gateways ; predominates sufficiently to justify the expression in the text. I have given a plan of this fortress in i. Coptic Churches (vol. chap. 4). (A. J. B.)

2 ' I translate \-m)\ by the Delta' because that is its obvious meaning here. See note on fol. 12 a.

3 The Arabic form of Babylon (BapvXav, &&.&.T7\(Mti), the name given by the Greeks and to this fortress the Nile see Graecizing Copts town and on ;

Diodorus, i. 56; Strabo, xvii. 1, 35; Josephus, An/. Jud. ii. 15. Other Arabic forms are Bab but the Babluniyah (jLojl>\j), Babliyun (y^JbU), al-yun (^1 i_>b), Arabs only knew the Greek form of the name, and never called the place Babil (Jl) like the city on the Euphrates. 4 In my Coptic Churches (vol. i. chap. 4) I was unable to give any satisfactory

' account of the name Kasr ash-Shamd or Castle of the Candle,' which is the familiar designation of the place to-day. Now, however, I am inclined to think that Shamd is a corruption of the old Coptic name ^HJUU, 'Egypt.' The town and fortress of Babylon were called by the Copts &.fWXujrt ItTG ^HJULI or 'Babylon of Egypt.' Thus, in the Acts of the Coptic martyr John of Phanijoit or Zaitun, we read that the saint resolved to go to &

I found an account of the conquest of Egypt in the Book of Al-Janah. It says that 'Amr ibn al-'Asi conquered Egypt in the year 1 19 of the Hegira. He encamped outside a place called Janan ar-Rihan, whither the Arabs came down to besiege the city of Misr. The bishop 2 of the Romans at Misr and Alexandria was named Cyrus . The Pol. 21b

Mem. i. sous les i. ii. 1 10 f. pp. 49, 50 ; Champollion, L'figypte Pharaons, p. i84f., p.

' It is further noticeable that the Arabic name, Misr, Egypt,' is applied both to the capital and to the country. (A. J. B.) 1 See Introduction. 2 Cyrus was the Greek patriarch of Alexandria at the time of the Arab invasion of Egypt. He is mentioned in the following passage of Eutychius (Annates, ed. Pococke, ii. p. 266):

!_>& li dJU*. As***. (^3JaJ jb JjO dJ,XLX-j^)| ^*3uJj (>-i- ~jj> (JMj A^..W.:W...pJ\ (Jl

Jo^, L)jSSw% ^Oj J.J,jfc ^i ^ W'J;'- u^Jj dJ,JJL5L.^)l ^jc ^/.^. u-^ ***>.J? liXwj ^^* *J ul JyM (./"JT u 3 ^J^\ u*)_t u^^'J/^'t^^ kj~^%t*- J^ *-?**];

dJliLo a ij.ii Jk.l a<^.> * Al ^ja.Lo (*9^5 Ji' J^j s'J^'j j^aIr^-03

'At the beginning of the caliphate [of 'Umar] George was appointed patriarch of Alexandria. He remained four years in possession of the see. Then when he heard that the Muslims had conquered the Romans, and had vanquished Palestine, and were advancing upon Egypt, he took ship and fled from Alexandria to Constantinople; and after his time the see of Alexandria remained without a Melkite patriarch for ninety-seven years. ' in When George took flight, Cyrus was appointed patriarch of Alexandria succession to him was a and followed the faith of ; Cyrus Maronite, religious [the Emperor] Heraclius. Now there was a monk at Alexandria named Sophronius, doctrines of the for that Our who condemned the patriarch Cyrus ; Cyrus taught Lord Christ consisted of Two Natures with One Will and One Energy and One and this was the doctrine of Maro.' Personality ;

ii. col. to was Cf. Le Quien {Oriens Christ, 447 ff.), according whom Cyrus in in restored in and died in elected patriarch a. d. 632, deposed 639, 641, 642 ; and Zotenberg, CJiron. de Jean de Nikiou, p. 439.

1 [n. 7-] 74 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

people of Al-Fustat dug a moat against the Arabs. Al-Fustat was then 1 called but the Arabs called it Al-Luniyah ; Al-Fustat, because they ' said : is This the tent (fustat) of the people, and their place of meeting/ came thither with three five 'Amr, then, thousand and men ; but afterwards he was joined by Az-Zubair ibn al-'Awwam, with twelve thousand. 2 3 'Amr took of the fortress and it force possession , captured by ; and thereupon he gave up to plunder all the treasures that it contained. He spared the lives of the natives on condition of their becoming ' a ' but he laid tribute protected people ; upon them throughout their country. The governor of Al-Luniyah, or Al-Fustat, demanded a tax of two dinars from every adult : that is to say twenty-seven dirhems, all but one-third unless the man was rich ; poor. Every man was obliged to pay every year two dinars and three ardebs of corn. In this way 'Amr raised a revenue of two millions of dinars from the poll- tax of and 'Abd Allah ibn id ibn 4 raised four Egypt ; Sa Mufarraj millions of dinars. The government of 'Amr ibn al-'Asi lasted ten 5 years and four months, and that of 'Abd Allah his son for two years. It is also said that, when the Muslims came into Egypt, they made an enclosure of canes, extending from the road called Al-Farr to the named Daurah Khalf and hither assembled them- place ; they selves and it was called or the of the ; Al-Fustat, meeting-place people ; and the Arabs did not put up a tent, not being acquainted with the use of tents.

1 This is simply part of the word Bablilniyah (jLJ^LIj) or Babylon, which the Arabs supposed to be two words, meaning Gate of Luniyah. 2 M. Amedineau, who has published a translation of the greater part of

' fol. 2i b 'fosse" ! a (Ge'ogr. p. 542), translates ^a>. by He also reads, line or two

' ' ' further down, Louiiah instead of Luniyah,' not being aware that the latter is

' simply part of the form JuiJols (Babluniyah), used by Al-Makrizi for Babylon.' 3 For remarks on the conquest of Egypt, see Introduction. 4 Al-Makrizi that 'Amr raised a revenue of twelve (i. p. 1a) says millions, and 'Abd Allah ibn Sa'd ibn Abi Sarh fourteen millions. The latter succeeded 'Amr as emir of Egypt (op. cit. p. rii). Our scribe has evidently altered the figures. 5 Some say that it was not 'Abd Allah the son of 'Amr who governed Egypt after the latter, but 'Abd Allah ibn Sa'd. THE CITY OF FUSTAT MfSR. ?$

'Amr ibn al-'Asi conquered Egypt on a Friday, on the first day of the month of Al-Muharram, in the year 20 of the Hegira, and in the caliphate of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, in a battle which took place near 1 the fortress known as the Fort of Al-Hammam . The number of the Fol. 22 a Copts who inhabited the land of Egypt, without counting the decrepit old men and the children below the age of understanding, amounted to 2 six millions of souls. 'Amr imposed upon all of them a yearly tax of dirhems and two-thirds but from the rich all he twenty-six ; men, alike, exacted two dinars and three ardebs of wheat a head, in every place that he occupied. In this way the country produced twelve millions of dinars, without reckoning the tribute of the Jews in Egypt and its All this carried to ibn al-Khattab and it provinces. money was 'Umar ; was the first money that was taken to him from Egypt. 'Amr ibn al-'Asi had visited Egypt during the days of ignorance, and knew the roads leading thither, through trading there together with one of 3 the tribe of the Kuraish .

1 See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. ri . 2 See Al-Makrizi, i. p. 11. 3 These words are borrowed from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, who relates that Amr went from Arabia to Jerusalem on a trading expedition with some members of the tribe of Kuraish. In Syria, Amr was able to render certain services to a Greek deacon of Alexandria, who was visiting Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, and who, in gratitude to 'Amr, invited him, with one of the members of the tribe of Kuraish, to visit Alexandria, where the two Arabs were much struck by the wealth and magnificence of the capital of Roman Egypt. See As-Suyuti, Husn al-]\luhddarah, i. oi i. Ibn iii. p. ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. ioa; al-Athir, p. w; Abu '1-Mahasin, i. p. -1 .

The words of Al-Makrizi, quoting from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, are :

S.L->0 La 3 ' 1^* *** c (_^a~o (jOj 1^9 ijS L^)J W^ [P) J"" *s**"r ti J v* u 3

' 'Amr had visited Egypt during the days of ignorance, and knew the roads leading and had seen the wealth of the cause of his visit thither, country ; and the to Egypt was that he travelled to Jerusalem for purposes of trade, with some members of the tribe of Kuraish/ &c.

1 2 y 6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

I found it stated in the History of the Church that the Muslims entered Egypt and took possession of it in the month of Ba'unah, in 1 the year 321 of the Righteous Martyrs . The number of those that were slain in the conquest of Egypt, without reckoning those that were killed during the siege, was twelve 2 thousand three hundred .

The places named after the Arab tribes, who laid them out at the time of the conquest of Egypt in Muharram of the year 20 of the were streets or 3 ibn Hegira, [the quarters named after ] Muharrah Haidan ibn 'Amr ibn al-Haf ibn Kuda ah 'Adi ; Tajib Umm ; Lakhm

1 Our author does not seem to have copied his authority very accurately here as regards the date. The passage in the life of the patriarch Benjamin runs as follows :

p)\ jj$Z> ^ j~ia&i AJjjJ ^ j^us. jlill p^JI

' The e. of the his king [i. caliph] Muslims sent an expedition, under one of trusted friends named 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, in the year 357 of Diocletian the slayer of the martyrs; and the army of Islam invaded Egypt in great force on the 12th day of is to in the Ba'unah, [that say] Roman month of December.' (Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 105, lines 7-10.)

Cf. Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 162. Ba'unah does not correspond to December, but to May 26-June 24. It is well known that the so-called Era of the Martyrs really begins with the accession of Diocletian, a. d. 284 (Aug. 29), and was originally employed by heathens as well as Christians. 2 Al-Kindi makes the number of slain see only 3,500 ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, 6 i. p. Mi . 3 This passage seems to be somewhat corrupt. Perhaps the copyist did not understand it. It is doubtless borrowed from Al-Kindi's Khitat Misr.

Al-Makrizi says :

Jabil 1c .*c i >> tsb^-i-j ^s- lj*JaiAi\ ^ (>_5 ^ i>j^" Jy a-jI^U j^jLjj THE CITY OF FUSTAT MISR. 77

sons of 'Adi ibn Murrah Rashidah ibn and JudMm, the two ; Jazilah ibn Ya far the Banu Wail the Banu ; ; ibn Lakhm ; '1-Maghafir (names and the 1 Habib were given to the Khalij and Al-Kantarah Quarter ); in 2 the Karafah 3 the Pol. 22b the Wadi Habib ; ibn Mughaffal, who dwelt ;

ibn Wail Al-Malik Abu '1-Khair ibn Sharahil ; Banu Hajas ibn Yusuf ;

C J>. J ^ \J^ij y-UI \Jji\ j^JJl f* \y&3 j-j J^il pj^ J;*

' When 'Arar returned from Alexandria and settled at the place where his tent the tribes assembled and divided the (fustat) had been pitched, together place between them. Then 'Amr appointed as stewards of the quarters Mu'awiyah ibn Khadij of the tribe of Tajib, and Sharik ibn Simi of the tribe of Ghatif, and 'Amr ibn Kahzam of the tribe of Khulan, and Haiwil ibn Nashirah of the tribe of

and it was these men who settlements for the Arabs and Maghafir ; appointed divided the place among the tribes; and this was in the year 21.' (Khitat, i. p. r"W.) The names of the Arab tribes here furnished by our author as those which laid out the different quarters of Al-Fustat, and gave their names to them, are iv. 1 with the addition also found in Al-Makrizi (ibid) and Ibn Dukmak, p. f., of others.

1 This passage seems to be corrupt. 2 Habib was one of the companions of Mahomet, shared in his flight, and took he retired into the part in the conquest of Mecca. Under the caliph 'Uthman, Habib is the most Nitrian valley, which was therefore named after him. Wadi fol. 20 which usual of the names given by the Arabs to the Nitrian valley (see a), they also called Wadi Natrun, Wadi '1-Muluk, Desert of Askit (2Kva6is, Scaetis), Desert of Shihat and Mizan al-Kulub (Balance of Hearts). Of the last two names from which 2nva0is and Askit the former is simply the Coptic Shihit (ctJI&JTr), are derived, and the latter is an Arabic translation of the two elements of which and the Coptic name appeared to be composed, namely oji, 'measure,' 'weigh,'

i. i. in . OHT, 'heart' See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. m ; As-Suyuti, p. 3 This is said to be the name of the tribe which settled on the plot of ground to the north-west of Al-Fustat which afterwards became the great cemetery of Al-Karafah; but another account of the origin of the name 'Karafah' is given on

fol. 42 a. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. Fa . 78 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

c 1 the friend of 'Amr ibn al- Asi ibn Wardan the Roman , ; Shajaah Mandaghan ibn Malik ibn Kab ibn al-Harith ibn Ka b. The market- 2 place of Barbar was named after Barbar ibn Abi Habib. The street of Al-Khadiji was the settlement of 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Mu'awiyah 3 ibn Khadij ibn Hajar, emir of Egypt in the caliphate of 'Abd Allah ibn 4 5 az-Zubair at Mecca and of Marwan in Syria. 'Amr ibn al-'Asi ibn 'Adi is described as being dark and short, a with a large head and prominent brows, wide-mouthed, with long 6 beard, broad-shouldered and broad-chested . He died in the year and he was buried in the Mukattam 7 in the 43 ; hills, neighbourhood of the Ravine, on the road towards the Hedjaz.

1 Wardan is said to have been an Armenian. Under the caliph Mu'awiyah, of the tribute of and he was killed at Alexandria in he was the director Egypt ; after him. See a. h. 53. The market-place of Wardan at Al-Fustat was named

Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. 1 w . 2 see Wort. iii. 1 ir . In Al-Fustat ; Yakut, Geogr. p. 3 From Sha'ban a. h. 64 = a. d. 684 to Rajab a. h. 65; he succeeded Sa'id ibn Yazid. Al-Makrizi calls him 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Utbah ibn Jahdam. See

f. Khitat,'\. p. r. 1 4 'Abd Allah was the eighth caliph, but was not recognized in Syria and only by a party in Egypt. He reigned 128 days, during the latter part of a. h. 64 and the earlier part of a. h. 65. In the month of Jumada '1-Ula, a. h. 65, the Omeyyad ar- caliph Marwan invaded Egypt, and fought with 'Abd Allah and his emir 'Abd Rahman, whom he defeated and slew, so that the Omeyyad dynasty was established throughout the Mahometan world. See Al-Makin, Tdrikh al-Maslimin, ad ann. 64 and 65; Abu '1-Faraj (ed. Pococke), pp. 194-8; Abu '1-Fida, Annales, i. p.402ff.;

i. f. Hnsn ii. a. Al-Makrizi, p. r.i ; As-Suyuti, al-Muhddarah, p. 6 of the from a. h. Son of Al-Hakam, and fourth Omeyyad caliphs ; reigned 64

See f. Abu A = a.d. 684 to a.h. 66 = a. d. 686. Abu '1-Faraj, p. 197 ; '1-Fida, nnales,

. a i. ff. ad ann. i. r i f. ii. . p. 404 ; Al-Makin, 64-66 ; Al-Makrizi, p. ; As-Suyuti, p. 6 This description is taken from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam. See An-Nawawi, Kitdb

fv* ff. Tahdhib al-Asmd (ed. Wustenfeld), p. 7 The well-known hills to the east of Al-Fustat and Cairo, about which many

told the Arabs see i. 1 rr . legends were by ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. KING AFTUTlS. 79

King Aftiitis.

1 I found it written in the history of Mahbub ibn Kustantin Al- 2 Manbaji (now the city of Manbaj is also called the ancient City of the Priests, and is on the banks of the Euphrates), in the first part, that a named Aftutis 3 in the time of Isaac son of was the king , Abraham,

1 Otherwise called see Introduction. Agapius (^j^lcl) ; 2 ' The see Bib. Or. ii. 22 cf. Syriac Mabug (^sjo , Assemani, p. ; Mabog,' Pliny, H. N. v. 19), and the Greek Hierapolis, in northern Syria, to the east of Antioch and not far from the right or western bank of the Euphrates. It is now called Menbij or Benbij, and by the Turks Kara Bambuj or Buguk Manbej, but is in a ruined state. In the time of our author it was a flourishing city and renowned for its salubrious climate (Yakut, Geogr. Wort, ad voc.) Eutychius

' ' incorrectly identifies it with Megiddo (Annates, i. p. 242). The City of the Priests

is of the of the or (^l^Jl ajjA*) a translation Syriac name place, )Jop ki*Zao 0... which the Greeks converted into This J!cJo>o t-to , Hierapolis. parenthetical passage of our author is based upon the words of Mahbub, son of Constantine, himself:

c i&i-l k*;> ^\J&\ As- - ^^ ,Jli i^.J^> (| *^ uy$ W^ ^*>. c^/*"" u^^ ij

iilcx!l ^- &^.X* ,Aj u^^l^ ZliS*

' At that time e. the of the Semiramis built a [i. period Jacob] queen great temple to the idol in a on the bank of the and she Kuyus city Euphrates ; appointed seventy men priests to Kuyfis. The name of this city was Hierapolis, the interpre- " tation of which is City of the Priests," and it is the ancient city of Manbaj.'

(Bodleian MS. Hunt 4,178, fol. 70 a.)

it that is the correct instead If may be conjectured Kubbus (u-^ls) reading of Kuyus, the statue referred to may be that of Kombabos, of which we hear in the treatise De Dea Syra ascribed to Lucian, that it stood in the temple of the great goddess in whose honour the temple of Hierapolis was actually erected. Agapius accepts the tradition mentioned in the same treatise that Semiramis was the founder of the temple. 3 in This name appears as Utis on fol. 57 a and b, but is more often found 8o CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

first who discovered books and sciences and astronomy and arithmetic. He studied the latter in the books of the Chaldaeans and people of the East, and introduced them into Egypt, besides magic and the art of Fol. 23 a the same and were built and conjuring. At time, Sodom Gomorrah ; 1 Babylon also was built upon the river Nile. This king, mentioned above, reigned for thirty-two years.

Revenues of Egypt.

Under the administration of Joseph, son of Jacob, the land-tax of Egypt, after the country began to flourish through his enterprise, 2 reached the sum of twenty-four million six hundred thousand dinars . The Pharaoh of the time of Moses drew a revenue of ninety millions of dinars his name was Al-Walid ibn Mus'ab 3 and he ; ; dug, by the

the shortened form Tutis (^J^k), the name of a king whom Al-Makrizi calls the 6 son of son of see i. u . Maliya, Kharaba; Khitat, p. ; As-Suyuti (Husn al-Muhd- darah, i. p. n) calls Tutis the son of Maliya, son of Kalkan, son of Khartaba. 1 For a different account of the foundation of the Egyptian Babylon, see fol. 60 b. The generally accepted story of its origin is given by Strabo, Geogr.

xvii. and i. cf. ii. cap. 1, 30, Diodorus, cap. 56, 3 ; Josephus, Ant.Jud. 15. The recently-discovered tablets from Tall al-Amarna show that intimate relations existed between Egypt and Babylon on the Euphrates, at least 1,500 years before our

era. (A. J. B.) 2 Al-Makrizi says 97,000,000 dinars, and adds that according to the compu- tation of Ibn Dahyah 90,000,000 Pharaonic dinars were equivalent to 270,000,000 dinars of his own time. Ash-Sharif al-Harrani says that from a Sahidic list translated into Arabic he found that the revenues of Egypt in the time of Joseph amounted to 24,400,000 dinars, thus nearly agreeing with our author. The same figures are given by Al-Hasan ibn 'Alt al-Asadi. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat,

i. p. vo. a This is the name commonly given by Arab writers to the Pharaoh of the

time of Moses ; see ii. Tahdhib . . Al-Mas'udi, p. 397 f.; An-Nawawi, al-Asmd, p. ;

i. ifr Husn i. . Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. ; As-Suyuti, al-Muhddarah, p. re Other names, however, are mentioned by Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam. REVENUES OF EGYPT. 81

Karun and Haman 1 the canal of Sardus 2 which of his officers , agency , has more windings than any other. The Romans derived a revenue of twenty millions of dinars 3 from Egypt. The country was placed by Heraclius under the government of George, son of Mennas, the Mukaukis*, on condition of receiving

1 Haman, the minister of Pharaoh, is mentioned in the Koran, Siirat al-Kisas, v. al- v. v. and and Korah in 5 and 7 ; Ankabut, 38; al-Mumin, 25 38 ; (Karun) al-Kisas, v. 76; al- Ankabut, v. 38; and al-Mu'mi'n, v. 25. Korah is represented in the Koran, following the Talmud, as a man of immense wealth, and insolent towards his fellow-countrymen. 2 Our author is doubtless borrowing from Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam, who says that Haman was commanded by Pharaoh to dig this canal, and that the people of the villages in whose neighbourhood it was to run offered him money if he would allow the canal to be brought close to them, which could only be effected by its

see i. v. f. i. re. making many turnings; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. ; As-Suyuti, p. Quatremere identified the so-called canal of Sardus with the ancient Tanitic branch of the Nile, now named the Bahr Mu'izz (Mem. i. 301). 3 It is impossible to conjecture on what these figures are based. Very probably the population was about eight millions, and there is nothing improbable in the statement of Abu Salih, which would give z\ dinars per head, or 1 5s. od. of our money. But the Roman revenues were in kind as well as in money. makes the revenue from and Herodotus (iii. 91) Egypt parts adjoining, including Barca and Cyrene, 700 talents of silver, without counting the income from the fishery of Lake Moeris, and 700 talents in coined money. St. Jerome, on

Daniel xi. 5, says that Ptolemy Philadelphus derived from the countries under his sway 14,800 Egyptian talents, besides 7,000,000 bushels of corn. Towards the end of the Lagide dynasty, the revenue of Auletes was 6,000 talents, though Cicero puts the amount at 12,500; but even this would be only about 2,250,000 as against Abu Salih's 10,000,000. In the time of Augustus, the amount of corn sent by Egypt to Rome was nearly 3,000,000 quarters per annum, and if the value of this were included, a near approach would be made to Abu Salih's figures.

See 'Abd Allah Simaika's Province Romaine d'figypte, p. 129 seq. (A. J. B.) 4 The position, name, and title of this official, which have so long been a problem to Arabists, seem to have been settled as far as possible by Prof. De Goeje in his memoir De Mokaukis van Egypte, and by Prof. Karabacek

m [II. 7.] 8a CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. a sum of eighteen millions of dinars yearly. 'Amr ibn al-'Asi drew, in 20 of the one million of dinars but in the the year Hegira, ; year 22, twelve millions. Under the Abbasides, when Egypt was adminis- ibn it five millions when tered by Ahmad Tulun, produced ; and, ibn four millions and it went administered by Ya kub Yusuf, ; finally 1 down to three millions . A survey of the provinces of Egypt, so far as the Nile waters 2 them, was made in the days of Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik, and their 3 extent found to be thirty millions of feddans . The annual revenue also of Egypt and its dependencies, during the government of Kafur

in his article Der Mokaukis von Aegypten in the Mittheilungen aus der Samvilung der Papyrus Erzherzog Rainer, vol. i. pp. 1-1 1. The latter authority concludes that the full designation of the Mukaukis was probably Georgios son of Menas (Mennas) Parkabios, according to the Coptic custom of double names, thus explaining the name Farkab {^j for ^j>) given to his father by Yakut, Al-Makrizi, and and that his office was that of which As-Suyuti ; probably Pagarch, corresponded to the more ancient office of Nomarch, with, perhaps, the post of Strategos held in addition. Strategos is found in the papyri translated into Arabic by or and or and iijAl J-olc djjsi.1 i_^>U, Pagarchos by -1,11 J^lc simply J*lc; calls the Mukaukis -bil while that he was Eutychius Js J-olc, As-Suyuti says chief military officer as well as superintendent of the taxes. The term Mukaukis itself is believed by Prof. Karabacek to be the Greek fxeyavx^ (v. Aeschylus, Persae, 641), an honorary epithet which would be analogous to /xeyaXoTrpeTreVraros-, eVSo^oTcn-os and tvKXeeaTaros, found in papyri of the time of the Mahometan con-

quest and later as applied to the Pagarchs. (A. J. B.)

1 Cf. Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. r\\. 2 The tenth of the Omeyyad caliphs; reigned from a. h. 105 = a. d. 724 to A. H. I25 = A.D. 744. 3 Taking the feddan as equivalent to an English acre, which it slightly

' exceeds, it is difficult to understand this estimate. The area of the cultivable tract of Egypt, which has remained unaltered since the remotest antiquity, is about 11,342 square miles' (Baedeker). At 632 acres to the square mile this gives 7,168,144 acres or considerably less than one-third of our author's estimate. The statistics of revenue in the remainder of this paragraph are credible

enough. (A. J. B.) NEBUCHADNEZZAR. 83 al-Ustadh al-Ikhshidi, was added up, so far as it could be estimated, together with all the expenses, and it amounted to three million two hundred thousand and more than thousand dinars seventy ; but the expenditure exceeded the revenue by two hundred thousand dinars. Fol. 23 b In the 162 in the of Al-Mahdi ibn 1 year (a.d. 779), caliphate al-Mansur , the Abbaside, the revenue of Egypt was estimated at one million eight hundred and twenty-eight thousand five hundred dinars.

Nebuchadnezzar.

Nebuchadnezzar 2 the of the invaded , satrap east, Egypt, and 3 ruthlessly pillaged the country for booty. Belteshazzar however, his 4 restored after its which lasted son, Egypt devastation, forty years ; and the first district which he restored in the country was that of Al- 5 Ushmunain .

1 The third of the Abbaside caliphs; reigned at Bagdad from a. h. 158 = a.d. 775 to a. h. 1 69 = a.d. 786. 2 A very distinct tradition has been preserved in Egypt of its invasion by

of 16 fT. xlvi. Nebuchadnezzar, spoken by Jeremiah (xliii. and 13 ff.) and by

Ezekiel See i. f. i. &c. (xxix. 19). As-Suyuti, p. n ; Al-Makiizi, p. rAi, ;

Eutychius, i. p. 253. It is well known that there exist fragments of a cuneiform inscription of the date of Nebuchadnezzar, which contained an account of his invasion of Egypt; see Schrader, Keilinschriftliche Bibliolhek, iii. pt. 2, p. 140 f. 3 Belshazzar. writes the name .~li> At-Tabari -o-idb and Ibn Eutychius ; ,

Khaldim .^jlJj .

4 This number seems to arise from a confusion with the true number of years in Nebuchadnezzar's reign, viz. forty-three years according to Berosus, the Canon of Ptolemy, and the Babylonian contracts; see Strassmaier, Babyhnische Texte: Inschriften von Nabuchodonosor. 6 The classical Hermopolis or Mercurii Oppidum, and the Coptic ajJULOTIt, on the west bank of the Nile between Munyah and Manfalftt. It is now in the district of Raudah in the of and in had inhabitants province Usyut, 1885 2,312 ; but it has much declined from its ancient importance. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. Al-Idrisi i. p. tat; (ed. Rome) [p. 47]; Al-Makrizi, p. ita; Ame'lineau, Geogr. p. 167 ff. m 2 84 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

The Patriarch Demetrius.

The first who appointed bishops for the land of Egypt and its was Demetrius 1 the twelfth provinces , patriarch.

Restoration of Churches of Al-Fustdt.

2 The history of the church, in the biography of Anba Mark the Younger, the forty-ninth patriarch, testifies that the churches of

1 This statement is borrowed by our author from Eutychius :

AftSL.1 Ail5 Jusl .L UaJ sLs iVlkJ) dpâj Jj\ jAj l$Vâ> ^jjô IJi l^sM ^jJI laiL.1 JLoU i>,Jj5w<^l As- s-Vjo ^ asLsLÎ dJ-.UXÛ (j^-i-c IsJpJai Js,a tub IJs J*c

' From the time of Ananias (Annianus), who was appointed patriarch of Alexandria by Mark the Evangelist, until Demetrius the eleventh patriarch of Alexandria, there were no bishops in Egypt, and the predecessors of the last-named patriarch appointed none. But when Demetrius became patriarch, he appointed three bishops, and he was the first patriarch of Alexandria who made bishops. When he died, Heraclius was constituted patriarch of Alexandria after him, and appointed twenty bishops.' {Annates, ii. p. 330.) The assertion of Eutychius is contradicted by the patriarchal history of Severus of Al-Ushmunain, which not only states that St. Mark himself consecrated Annianus his (wjj> lol) bishop of Alexandria, and left him there in that capacity during sojourn in Pentapolis, but also mentions bishops in Egypt, other than the patriarch, in the lives of Avilius (^^iLL) the third patriarch, of Celadion (^^ibo^S) the ninth, and of the Brit. Or. line Julian (,jj\Jj>) eleventh; see Mus. MS. 26,100, p. 21, 18; p. 24, line 5; p. 25, lines 9 and 19. I use the word 'patriarch' here as being that employed by Severus. 2 the see a. d. Hist. Pair. Occupied from 799 to 819 (?). See Renaudot, pp. 246-266. This date of the restoration of the churches corresponds closely enough with my estimate of the date of, e.g. the church of Abu Sirjah in the

Roman fortress at Al-Fustat see i. 181. ; Coptic Churches, p. (A. J. B.) RESTORATION OF CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTAT. 85

Fustat Misr were rebuilt, and that their restoration was commanded, of that 1 after had been under the superintendence patriarch , they

1 Our author is referring to the following passage in the life of the patriarch

Mark in Severus' collection :

dJ olS J5 5Jls JU-Aa-U S-ls-^ S-Jc A~J /*?* ^a.9l ^1 jj<**^1> &Jsli.j &X9.J 5^>5lj (Jl?^

l&SjU i-l. dl Aa-la. JU i_>HaJ L$ LjaiJU lîU i^y* ^jU Wî uÛ Jj (SIsnJ^=>-

J Juo dUU! Jaaadl *^5o J d) ^1 dliUaL,j dba, J> jj^_5 c^l ^ d,WJI Jlij

UaU U dJ^U- I -U. d-x-^ *^> ,j^ J t-^lj /^Jlj ^-flj^l ^Jc Jj ^ JL ^Jc \jLj>

&Js 4ill ko^U dtd^.*- 30 ^ ^ J^t-s? dl (J^j W* (J^ W;^* . (v&l u^ ^ ^1; ^1)

' When they understood the discourse of the wall, and his care for the affairs of

the churches, Anba Michael, bishop of Misr, said : Now is the time for us to take measures for the restoration of the churches, since it is evident that the wall bears an affection towards the Christians. Next day, therefore, the patriarch returned to the wali, who saluted him, and showed respect to him, and honoured him, and raised him from the ground, and made him sit beside him, and discoursed with

him, saying : I told thee yesterday that I would perform whatever thou requirest, hast of mention to whatever thou but thou asked nothing me ; now, therefore, me needest, and it shall be done because of my love for thee. So the patriarch

answered with soft words : May the Lord preserve thy days and increase thy

dignity and authority ! Thou knowest that thy servant has not been set as ruler but churches and I beseech over revenues and taxes, over souls and ; thy greatness for we have here churches, some of which have been destroyed by the un- righteous one before thy coming to Egypt, therefore the Lord destroyed his houses and cut off his life from the face of the earth but if it seems good to thee to command us to rebuild these churches, so that we may pray in them and intercede for thy greatness, the matter rests with thee. Then God quickly put

it into the heart of the wali that he should order the restoration of those churches ;

and all the churches in Fustat Misr were rebuilt.' (Bib. Nat. Paris MS. Anc . Fonds

Arabe 139, p. 211, 1. 17-p. 212, 1. 1.) 86 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

in the of Anba 1 the in the destroyed patriarchate John , forty-eighth succession. 2 The of outside which is Madinat city Misr, ash-Shams , was founded by Mizraim, the son of Canaan, the son of Ham, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech the Blind, and it was called after the name of the king of the Egyptians, Mizraim. Beyond Egypt is the district between the two rocks, beyond Al-'Arish.

Churches of Al-Fustat.

The first church built in Fustat Misr was that which is beyond 3 Al-Kantarah it was built in the time of Maslamah ibn ; Mukhallad 4 6 al-Ansari . The name of Misr in Greek is JibF; and in Frankish Roman it is Babylon the Fortress. The church above mentioned was in the

1 Occupied the see a. d. 775-799; see Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 241-246. The destruction of some of the churches of Al-Fustat in his time is mentioned in Bib. Nat. MS. Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 207, 1. 20. 2 Or 'Ain Shams: the or the Hebrew Coptic cort neT^pK, On (jiK) or Beth JTa Shemesh (&nf Jer. xliii. 13), the classical Heliopolis, a few miles to the of north modern Cairo. The only remaining vestige of the famous city is the obelisk which stands near the of See i. r 1 village Matariyah. Al-Makrizi, p. ;

Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. 111; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 287.

3 ' ' Literally, The Bridge or 'Arch :' a suburb of Al-Fustat, also called Al- Hamra al-Wusta (fol. 29b); see Al-Makrizi. 4 The well-known 'Companion' of the Prophet; he governed Egypt, under the and from a. h. = a.d. 668 to a. h. 62 = a. d. caliphs Mu'awiyah Yazid, 47 682 ;

see i. r. 1 names this first Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. ; As-Suyuti (ii. p. v) church. 5 Evidently an apocopated form of Aiyvwros, and therefore a formation analogous to Kibt (Copts). As the Egyptians give the hard pronunciation to the _, they would sound the word Ghibt. The Greek y becomes _ in Arabic in the words Jirjis for Teapyios, Sirjah for Sepyios, jaghrdfiyd for ycaypacpia, and many others. 6 I. e. the lingua Franca. Babylon, as the name of Fustat, or Fustat and Cairo together, was widely employed in Europe at the time of our author and later; see Mandeville's travels, edition of London, 1568, fol. ciiii verso: 'And who so the land of . . wyll go through Babylon wher the Soudan dwelleth . hee CHURCHES OF A L-FUSTAT. 87

Cairo and Misr 1 from the church of Saint quarter, between , running George, called Al-Hamra. The church was in the middle of this quarter, 2 is also called ar-Rum and was inhabited Christians and which Harat , by Abyssinian monks and others. When the quarter was demolished, as the others also were demolished outside Misr, and the houses which it contained were destroyed, the bricks and timber were carried off for other buildings in Cairo. A few ruined houses, however, remained, Fol. 24 a 3 and were inhabited by the men of Maimun . The church of Saint George, called Al-Hamra, had fallen into ruin and disorder but Al-Mu'allim Sarur undertook to and ; Al-Jullal improve renew it in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir. The said Al-Jullal was full of wealth and honours. Thus when our lord Al-Mustansir went up to 4 the manzarah called As-Sukkarah for the breaking of the dam of the

shall . . . to and to goe from Gaza and from thence men come Babylone Kayre ; and in Babylone is a fayre churche of our lady wher she dwelled vii yere whan she was oute of the lande of Jewes, for dreade of kynge Herode. And there lyeth the body of Saynte Barbare vyrgyn, and there dwelled Joseph whan he was

. . is citie solde of his brethrene . There dwelleth the Soudan, for there a faire and stronge castell.' Mandeville is said to have travelled early in the fourteenth century. The Romaiince of the Sowdone of Babyloyne, published by the Roxburghe

' ' Club in 1854, is well known. Cf. Saladino, Soldano di Babilonia in Boccaccio,

Dec, Giorn. x, Nov. 9, &c. 1 Here we have Misr used as synonymous with Al-Fustat or Fustat Misr, and in antithesis to Cairo, which was nevertheless sometimes called Misr al-Kahirah,

and is called Masr the remains of Al-Fustat called Old Masr. now ; being

2 ' Quarter of the Romans;' see above, fol. 6 a. 3 Maimun al-Kasri was an officer in Saladin's army; see Ibn al-Athir, xii.

. pp. ir, 1 .1, 1 oa 4 Al-'Aziz d. the This was a pavilion erected by the caliph (a. 975-996), on western bank of the canal of Cairo near the Nile. It was surrounded by a garden. It was here that the Fatimide caliphs witnessed the breaking of the dam of the canal at the time of the high Nile, an operation which was conducted then as now with much ceremony. See Al-Makrizi's long description of it in Khitat, i. p. fv . ff. See The pavilion seems to have been destroyed in the twelfth century (ibid).

iv. 1 r . also Ibn Dukmak, p. , 88 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 canal dug by 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, emir of Egypt, in the caliphate of the Prince of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, the Mu'allim Sarur

al-Jullal offered to the caliph handsome gifts, consisting of different kinds of food and drinks and sweetmeats, and prepared for him many kinds of fresh fish and sugar in varied forms; and the caliph accepted them from him, and gave him a robe of honour, and granted his requests, 2 and sent him to Al-Kulzum which is a fortress built to the , protect country the side of the the of is on Hedjaz ; and name the place derived from the weaver's cord, with which a garment is held fast, and which is called 4 5 kulzum*. Jauhar al-Mu'izzi built a bridge over that canal, leading to G Fol. 24 b the bank of Al-Maksam. Here is the watercourse called Al-Majnunah . Before this there was a which was but traces bridge, bridge destroyed ; of it are left on the east side, and part of it on the west side, below the garden, near the road constructed from thence to Az-Zuhri, for carrying provisions to the canal which runs from Cairo to Al-Kulzum, that they may be taken thence to Mecca and Medina, and also to the region

1 The famous Khalij or canal of Cairo, sometimes called Khalij Amir al-

' Miiminin, or Canal of the Prince of the Faithful,' after 'Umar, the first who assumed that title. It runs from the Nile at Al-Fustat northwards to Bastah

(Zagazig), whence it turned eastwards and terminated in the Red Sea, near Al-JKulzum. Its original purpose was to furnish Mecca and Medina with provisions

from Egypt. The Khalij now only serves to convey water to the city of Cairo, and terminates at Matariyah, near the site of 'Ain Shams or Heliopolis. In constructing this canal, Amr had only to avail himself of and render navigable the very ancient Amnis Trajanus. For an account of the Khalij in Mahometan

. see i. v i Ibn iv. i r . times, Al-Makrizi, p. ; Dukmak, p. 2 See above, fol. 19 b. 3 Intended, as Prof. Margoliouth suggests, for a transcription of the Greek KXaafia. 4 The general of the Fatimide caliph Al-Mu'izz, who conquered Egypt and Cairo in a. d. see Introduction. founded 969 ; 5 A complete list of the bridges over the canal, with a plan, is given in

C. Niebuhr's Voyage en Arable, 4to, Amsterdam, 1776, torn. i. p. 89. See also

Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. tfi ff. (A. J. B.) 6 Al-Makrizi this name to a canal in the see i. rPi. gives Fayyum ; Khitat, p. CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTAT. 89 of A1-' Abbasah. Our lord Al-Mustansir was crowned with the jewelled 1 turban and the canopy was spread over him, and he was * * * sitting on the dais of state, and the aforesaid Sarur came out to wait upon and the saluted him and Sarur wore a of him, caliph ; garment Nasd/i, and a turban of Sikilli, bound round the middle with a band of Dabiki, with and he on both occa- interwoven gold ; was summoned by name to sions, when he went up [to Al-Kulzum], and when he returned Cairo I mean this Mu'allim Sarur al-Jullal. Sarur was full of benevolence and virtue and usefulness to other men : to each according to his needs. For himself he provided a tomb, roofed with a cupola, and consisting of a vault under ground, contiguous 2 to the apse of the church. His son, Najah, built over it a church, named after Saint John the Baptist, which was entirely of solid timber, decorated with carving. The church of John the Baptist was restored by the Shaikh As-Sa id Abu '1-Fakhr, father of An-Najib Abu '1-Barakat, known as Ibn 3 Sa id ; and it was consecrated in the month of Tut in the , year 897 Pol. 25 a of the Blameless Martyrs (a.d. 1180). The Shaikh al-Wajih Abu '1-Hasan ibn al-Amahh, the scribe, provided for the improvement of the churches attached to the Great Church, in the year 892 (A.D. 11 76) of the Blameless Martyrs. The lasted until the of as-Sa'di 4 vizier in building time Shawar , the of and of invasion the Ghuzz and the Kurds 5 caliphate Al-\Adid, [the of] , who came with Yusuf Salah ad-Din ibn Ayyub, the Kurd, who became

' governor of Egypt, and was called, on the dirhems and dinars, Partner

1 Erasure in original. 3 is here written on fol. a. jli. correctly ; compare ^U. 5 3 The Coptic Thoouth (e(JUOTo)=Aug. 29-Sept. 27. 4 Vizier from a. h. 558 = a.d. 1162 to a. h. 564 = a.d. 1168 to the last of the Fatimide caliphs, Al-'Adid. See Introduction. As-Sa'idi is incorrect. 5 Here the has written till instead of as on copyist correctly .jl^Slj \j>y\ jiJl fol. 2 a and elsewhere.

n [II. 7.] yo CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. of the Prince of the Faithful V upon the invasion of the king of the 2 Franks, on account of the victory gained over them during the year 559 (a.d. 1 1 64). The Ghuzz and the Kurds attacked this church, with the 3 mob of and it was burnt with fire and rased like Cairo, , to the ground the other churches, in the month of Jumada the First in the year 559

1 Gold dinars of a. h. 571 have the following inscription :

ajIc dlU sJl sJlc 41)1 ,L J. sJi jjcj ,-lcj u^^il y jjJjJl (Jff *^a*5 jjil ^-Jj

' In the name of God the compassionate and merciful. This dinar was struck at Cairo in the year 571. There is no deity but God alone; he has no partner. Abu Muhammad Al-Mustadi bi-amri 'llah is Prince of the Faithful. Mahomet is the Apostle of God, who sent him under his guidance with the true religion, that he might reveal it above all religion, even if the polytheists are indignant thereat; may God bless him and his family and the most Victorious Prince

Yusuf ibn Ayyub.' (Poole, Brit. Mus. Cat. of Or. Coins, iv. p. 63.) Silver dirhems of Damascus, a. h. 573, have the following superscription:

-oUI dlAU Ajjl Jm>S? 41)1 ^1 JI ^ 4jjl *U}H Jj-j, SJ,:j ^j^jW j^r*\ j*\>. jjaX-J.1

&c. i LjjJI X <*->j>\ ,j> a-jjj r)iJJ!j

'Al-Imam Al-Mustadi bi-amri 'llah, Prince of the Faithful. There is no deity but God alone. Mahomet is the Apostle of God. Al-Malik an-Nasir Salah ad-Dunya wad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, &c.' {Ibid.) From these inscriptions it does not appear that Saladin (Al-Malik an-Nasir, &c.)

' was actually called Partner' of the caliph al-Mustadt, Prince of the Faithful, upon the coins but that he was named as if he were his ; upon them partner. The dirhem was a silver coin about forty-five grains in weight. 2 Amaury, king of Jerusalem, invaded Egypt in a. h. 559, but his final and ignominious retreat on the approach of Saladin was not till a. h. 564. 3 The burning of Al-Fustat by order of Shawar is several times mentioned in this work : see Introduction. CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTAT. 9 i

(A.D. i i 64). Afterwards it was restored, in the year 560, and the excellent Shaikh Abu '1-Fakhr undertook its rebuilding. He had scribe for matters in the of been religious caliphate Al-Hafiz ; and he was assisted in this act of restoration by the distinguished Shaikh, Abu Hasan ibn al-Amahh, in the year 892 of the Righteous Martyrs (a.d. i i 76). After this, all the churches that had been wrecked were restored by the following shaikhs and chief men : the Shaikh As-Sa'id Shadid al-Mulk ibn al-Fakhr ibn Busaiwah, and Abu '1-Barakat his son, and Al-As'ad Abu '1-Khair Jirjah ibn Wahab, known as Ibn Pol. 25 b al-Mikat. The restored churches were consecrated, by the help of God and and have been offered in them to ; prayers liturgies up this day. When the restoration took place, and when this great church I mean Al-Hamra was put into order, then the envious and the con- tentious were because it been erected indignant had anew ; and they incited the common people to assist them, and they pillaged the church, and it was destroyed a second time. Afterwards the property of the church that had been scattered was restored, and a fresh consecration took place, and the liturgy and prayers were offered according to the customary practice. The tomb of Al-Mu'allim Sarur al-Jullal, which has been men- 1 tioned before, remains in this church to the present day . In this church there is also a tank, and a well of running water. c The aforesaid Al-As ad Abu '1-Khair ibn al-Mikat was sent for by Shawar the who was with him without cause and vizier, indignant just ; began to subject him to tortures. So he died a martyr. His body was carried to this church and buried here. May the Lord grant rest to his pure soul ! He was laid in the northern porch. Outside this church and near it there is a Christian burying-ground. Near the above-mentioned church of John the Baptist, there was

1 I am quite unable to identify this church, and indeed doubt its existence at the present time. The Epiphany tank and the well of fresh water are common features in the churches of see i. 22. Egypt ; Coptic Churches, p. (A. J. B.) n 2 92 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

a kitchen 1 which was down the Shaikh As-Sa'id '1-Fakhr , pulled by Abu Sa id ibn Busaiwah, who rebuilt it as a church dedicated to Our Lady the Pure Virgin. When it was completed, it was consecrated by the Fol. 26 a father and bishop, Anba Gabriel, bishop of Misr, in the presence of Anba Peter, bishop of the Fayyiim, on the fourth Sunday of the Holy 2 Fast, being the fifth of Barmahat in the year 903 of the Righteous Martyrs, which is equivalent to the 19th of Dhu '1-hijjah, in the year 582 (a.d. 1 187). From the roof of this church a view is obtained of the 3 Pool of Karun . The view from this church is agreeable, on account of the gardens and pleasure-grounds and handsome buildings which surround it. It is spacious and pleasant during both the high Nile and the seed time, and there are many people in the gardens and pavilions

which surround it. Among those who at any time have attacked this church there was a of called the 4 who insolent and body blacks, Juyushiyah , grew violent, and whose hands were stretched out until they stopped the roads and seized the money of travellers, or shed their blood. When the Ghuzz and the Kurds obtained possession of Egypt, in Rabf the Second of the year A. H. 564 (a.d. 1169), a body of Armenian Christians overcame the and drove them and killed of them and the blacks, away many ;

quarter which they inhabited was left deserted : it was in the neighbourhood of Al-Hamra, as it has already been said. The quarter was Hatalba the wall of from the Divan and he bought by Ghuzzi, Cairo, ; it in ploughed it, and made wells and waterwheels, and laid out gardens, and sowed seeds of many plants, and was the first to make the ground Fol. 26 b green with vegetation. The entrance to the church was altered, since there was no door in this street, but it was at the side, in the road mentioned.

1 Probably one of the sugar manufactories, of which there were many in Al-Fustat and Cairo at this time. 2 Pharmouthi The Coptic (cb^.pjt*.onfOl) = March 27-April 25. 3 This was one of the pools between Al-Fustat and Cairo, and its banks were thickly peopled when Al-'Askar and Al-Katai' were flourishing, but were

desolated when Cairo superseded these suburbs. See Al-Makrizi, ii. p. 111. 4 This was one of the of which the see fol. a. troops army was composed ; 54 POPULATION OF EGYPT. 93

Population of Egypt.

The book of Fadd'il Misr x relates that Al-Walid ibn Zuwa ah was

c set over the taxes of Egypt, in the caliphate of Hisham ibn Abd al- Malik al-Ahwal, and went to number the population, and stayed six months in Upper Egypt, and in Lower Egypt three months. He and in counted more than ten thousand villages ; the smallest of the there were five hundred male and the total of villages Copts ; number the Copts was five millions of souls.

The Nile.

The learned are all agreed that there is not in the world a river 2 of greater length than the Nile . For its course through the land of the Muslims amounts to more than a month's and its course journey ; through Nubia to two months' journey; and for a journey of four months it flows through uninhabited deserts, until the source is reached 3 in the Mountains of the Moon, to the south of the Equator . There

1 By Al-Kindi. 2 This account of the course of the Nile is quoted in almost the same words

by Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. Air . 3 See also fol. 10 1 a.. This statement is borrowed by the Arab geographers and historians from the Geography of Claudius Ptolemy, which was translated into Arabic in the reign of the caliph Al-Ma'mun, a. h. I98 = a.d. 813 to a.h. 218 = a.d. 833, although this translation has long been lost; see Haji Khalfah, ed.

i. bk. iv. c. that to Fluegel, pp. 602-3. Ptolemy says {Geogr. viii) the west of the Anthropophagous Aethiopians lie the fountains of the Moon, from which the melted snows flow into the lakes which form the sources of the Nile, and these mountains extend from lat. 12 S. to lat. 12 S. long. 57 , long. 67 ,

(to rrjs 'SeXrjvrjs opos dfp* ov VTrobexovrai ras x l vas a ' T0^ Net'Xov Xlp.vai ncti eW^ei

ra tov v vot. L' kcu vot, poipas TTtpara ttji "2(\j]vr]s opovs t/3 f i]3 h'.) Ibn al-Fakih al-Hamadani says in the Kitdb al-Bidddn, which he wrote about a.h. 290 = a. d. 903, that the Nile comes from two lakes beyond the equator, called Buhairatd'n-Nil (ed. De Goeje, p. if). Al-Mukaddasi says that according to Al-Jihani the Nile rises in the Mountains 94 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

is no other river, again, which runs from south to north, except the is Nile ; and there no river which flows both into the sea of the Romans 1 and the sea of the Chinese the Nile of is , except Egypt. There no other river, too, which rises when the heat begins, at the time when other rivers fall, and some rivers and springs are entirely dried and as the heat increases so the of the Nile increases up ; height ; and Fol. 27 a there is no other river which rises and falls the Nile regularly except ; nor does any river in the world produce such a revenue as that which comes from the overflow of the Nile.

Churches of Al-Fustdt {continued).

2 In the aforesaid quarter there is a church dedicated to the Angel Gabriel, which was restored by Su'luk al-Jullal. Above it there is a church named after the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ in the

Flesh. The cupola over the sanctuary of the church is very lofty, and c is from a distance it was erected the brother conspicuous ; by Abd

al-Masih. The Ghuzz and the people of Cairo pillaged it, and broke the of the 3 and of the roof was burnt. In pillars apostles , part conse-

of the Moon, and flows first through two lakes beyond the equator (ed. De Goeje,

p. t.). 'Abd al-Latif says that the sources of the Nile are springs which rise in the

Mountains of the Moon, eleven degrees beyond the equator (ed. White, p. 4); and Al-Idrisi says sixteen degrees (ed. Rome, p. 19). (A. J.B.) 1 The Red Sea was looked upon as a branch of the Indian Ocean or China

Sea cf. fol. b. Mardsid al-Ittild' : ; 19 The says

' The Sea of Al-Kulzum is a branch of the Indian Sea.'

Our author means, of course, that the Nile was connected with the Red Sea of the by means canal of Cairo {Khalij Amir^al-Mii miniti). (A. J. B.) 2 I.e. Al-Hamra.

3 The expression Al-Bustuldt (y^k^Jtf) undoubtedly denotes the main columns of the nave, frescoed or painted with the figures of apostles. I may quote a surviving example from the church of Abu Sirjah in the Roman fortress of CHURCHES OF AL-FUSTAT. 95 quence of this, the restoration of the church was undertaken by the Shaikh Ath-Thikah the in the of Gabriel, scribe, caliphate Al-'Adid ; and it was consecrated afresh, and the liturgy was celebrated in it. 1 Now at this church there was a lotus-tree of large size and well which as as the roof of the church this tree proportioned, grew high ; was cut down and sold for a considerable price, and the money was spent upon the rebuilding of the fabric. Besides this, there is a fourth church, large, and contiguous to the

others ; surrounded a wall of sun-dried bricks a by ; with separate door leading into it. It is among gardens and pleasure-grounds, and commands a view of the canal. When Misr was burnt, in the month of Safar, in the year 564, this church was pillaged and part of the walls wr as thrown down, and not a single Christian was found at the time to undertake its restoration so that it has remained to this in Fol. 27 b ; day suspense between hope of revival and the prospect of utter ruin. The wall of the aforesaid fourth church was destroyed and levelled with the and the church ground ; was profaned through the destruction of its wall, and became contiguous to the road, and was united with a pavilion in 11 the garden, known as Dmvairah Sandal . Part of the roof also the timber above the therefore the disappeared, namely sanctuary ;

Shaikh Al-Jullal Ibrahim undertook to restore it, with the help of some

' Babylon : On each of these eleven ancient pillars is painted the life-size figure saint of a or apostle, now so begrimed and obscured that in the doubtful light all may easily escape notice, and it requires close attention to make them out when discovered.' i. Coptic Churches, pp. 187-8. (A. J. B.)

1 ' 'Abd al-Latif says :

' ' The lotus-tree is plentiful in Egypt, and its fruit is the Nabk, and is very sweet (ed. White, p. 58).

Al-Makrizi mentions the lotus-tree among the principal objects of cultivation

in see i. 1 . . Egypt ; Khitat, p. r (A. J. B.)

: This may be a proper name, or the correct translation may be ' Pavilion of Sandal-wood.' 9 6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

of the chief men. of the church into order and the They put part ; in it liturgy was celebrated on one occasion. Part of it, however, remained neglected, but it continued to be visited twice or three times in the year. The partial restoration was carried out with much care and labour on the of the tenants of the and it was part neighbouring garden ; 1 completed on the 26th of Ba'unah . It was arranged so that it no longer remained possible for men and women to enter the church from the garden, as they had been able to do on account of the union of the ground, which had formerly been within the enclosure of the church,

with the In the of the . . . . the garden. year 903 Martyrs ( 910) church was improved by the Shaikh Abu Said ibn Andunah, the financial secretary of the Divan and chief notary, who rebuilt that which had been thrown down, and completed the dome, and whitewashed it. The consecration was performed by Anba. Gabriel, bishop of Misr, in the presence of a body of bishops, priests, and deacons, of the chief Pol. 28a men and of the orthodox laity of Misr and Cairo. The liturgy was established in the church for every festival and every Sunday and the 2 night of Sunday. The aforesaid Shaikh Abu Sa'id was present at all times in this church with a body of priests and deacons of the sons of the chief at all the and at the and services men ; festivals, night day of Sunday. He also bought the courtyard in front of the church, and opened a road to it from the canal. Now the church returned to its condition and a of monks took their there. proper ; body up abode The shaikh provided for the church and for them. Now a congregation of priests and deacons and Christian laity again began to visit the church every Sunday. All this took place in the patriarchate of Anba 3 the in the order of succession. John , seventy-fourth In the same street there is also a church of the Melkites. There

were five churches in this street, from one of which a procession issues

1 The Coptic Paoni (n

the church H. E. ii. vi. early (see e.g. Eusebius, 17 ; 9). 3 the see from a.d. 1 see Hist. Pair. Occupied 189-1216 ; Renaudot, pp. 554-67. AHMAD IBN TULUN. 97 on Palm Sunday, and goes up to Cairo. The Ghuzz and Kurds took possession of four of the churches [of the Melkites], robbed them of their timber, and threw down their walls, so that they were level with the ground, on account of the weakness and small numbers of the of theirs near the church of Melkites ; but one church remained, 1 Saint George of the Copts in this quarter .

Ahmad ibn Tiiliin.

The of Al-Mutamid 2 the fifteenth of the Abbaside Fol.28b biography , caliphs, relates that the number of the persons killed by Ahmad ibn 3 Tulun or by his troops was two thousand.

Sayings of Mahomet with 1'egard to the Copts.

1" The Book of Fadail Misv states, among its narratives, that the of are related to the Friend of God 5 Copts Egypt by affinity Abraham, , to the Truthful 6 and the chain of this tradition starts from and Joseph ;

1 2 Al-Hamra. Reigned from a.h. 256 to 279 = a. d. 869-892. 3 Wali of Egypt from a.h. 2 54 = a. d. 868 to a.h. 2 70 = a. d. 884, and builder of the famous mosque, still in existence, which bears his name. See Introduction. 4 By Al-Kindi; see fol. 26 b, &c. 5 Through Hagar. The Arabs preserved the tradition of their descent from

Ishmael, and prided themselves upon it; see Ibn Hisham, Sirah Sayyidind

ed. i. t* Mtihanwiad, Wiistenfeld, p. f., where the author quotes Ibn Ishak, who

died a.h. i5i = a.d. 768. Cf. Abu '1-Mahasin, i. p. rr . 6 Through Asenath, daughter of Potipherah, priest of On. As-Suyuti says :

jb.lo . . i^^i . Jii\

c ' Ibn Abd al-Hakam says : 'Umar ibn Salih informed us that he had learnt from Marwani al-Kassas that three of the prophets were connected with the Copts for Abraham had as his concubine and married the by affinity ; Hagar ; Joseph of the chief of 'Ain Shams e. or and the daughter [priest] [i. On Heliopolis] ; Apostle of God had Mary as his concubine.' (Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. v.)

O [IT. 7.] 98 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 ' the companions of Mahomet. Ashhab ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz said : When you conquer Egypt take charge [of the inhabitants], for truly they ' 2 may claim your protection, and kinship with you ! Isma'il ibn 'Abbas ' said, quoting from Ashhab : Take charge of the Copts of Egypt, for you will find among them useful auxiliaries against your enemy.' 3 ' " Abu Salimah said : Mahomet at his death said, I charge you to 4 drive away the Jews from the Arabian peninsula ." Then he added :

1 Ashhab ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz is the authority quoted by Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam in his Futuh Misr, from which our author borrows the whole of this passage. Ashhab is said to have derived the tradition from Malik ibn Anas, who quoted Ibn Shahab, who quoted Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ka'b, who quoted his father, who heard the words of the 'Apostle of God.' See As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. o. Cf. Ibn Hisham, Sirah Muhammad, i. p. o, and Abu '1-Mahasin, i. p. ro. 2 As-Suyuti's words are :

' Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam quotes from Muslim ibn Yusar to the effect that the Apostle

- of God said : Take charge of the Copts, for you will find them excellent auxiliaries in i. i fighting your enemy.' {Husn al-Muhddarah, p. .) 3 This is a mistake of the author or his copyist for Umm Salimah, the name of one of Mahomet's wives. As-Suyuti says:

AL. J JI~J **ai J^ ,j! ijC- ^s? 8j*Jl Joi)j ^j jilj jSS\ ^j (J^Jall r/^3 is- Si JJC . . 4l1 \y?y*is (*fe^ uj;*^** r^^ J** ^

' At-Tabarani in Al-Kabir and Abu Nairn in Dala il an-Nabifah quote, according to a genuine chain of tradition, from Umm Salimah to the effect that the Apostle

of God . . ., at the time of his death, charged them, saying: God ! God is with the of for shall and shall be for an Copts Egypt ; you conquer them, they you increase of numbers and a body of auxiliaries in the path of God.' {Husn

i. i al-Muhddarah, p. .) 4 This command of the Arabian prophet is handed down among the 'genuine' collected Al-Bukhari see his traditions by ; Kitdb al-Jdmi' as-Sahih, ed. Krehl,

pt. i. p. rip, under the title : SAVINGS OF MAHOMET WITH REGARD TO THE COPTS. 99

" ! the of to for God God commits Copts Egypt your charge ; you shall rule over them, and they shall be to you an increase of numbers, 1 and a body of auxiliaries in the path of God." He said also : "Take charge of the men with curling hair, the Copts of Egypt, for truly they are your uncles and kinsmen, and your auxiliaries against your enemy, and your helpers in your religion." Then some one said to him : "But how shall they help us in our religion?" To which he replied: " shall relieve of the affairs of this world 2 so that be They you , you may at leisure for religious worship." According to the tradition handed 3 ' down from 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, Mahomet said : The Copts

1 As-Suyuti says :

J iLiUI julc il J Jjtil -J^b J sJtfi- Jlai (jlil \**>y.J\ JlSi JjUl i&-^ Lfj*

+s$\ . . . 4)1 LI JUs dJi Jio Jlai IsJLJI julc J dJi Jio ^ J^ *Uj\ j^jSll ^1

c 6 Jjtil Jkilyilj ^jJ^ (^ *&^jd ~ftj >W|j JU=^ (^^ .r^- ^ JLi s^JLj (jlsU

' Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam quotes from Musa ibn Abi Ayyub al-Yafa'i, who reports the words of a man of the tribe of Al-Marbad to the effect that the Apostle of

. . . fell sick God and swooned, and when he recovered, he said : Take charge of the men with curling hair. Then he swooned a second time, and when he recovered said the same words. Again he swooned for the third time, and said the same words. So the bystanders said : The Apostle of God commits to our the men with hair and he charge curling ; when recovered they asked him his meaning. So he said : The Copts of Egypt arc our uncles and our brothers-in-law, and they shall be your auxiliaries against your enemy and on behalf of your said: religion. Then they How shall they help us in our religion, O Apostle of God ? Then he answered : They shall relieve you of the affairs of this so that world, you shall be at leisure for religious worship,' &c. {Husn

i. v al-Muhddarah, p. .) 2 See note on fol. 16. 3 Abu '1-Mahasin ' quotes the following among the sayings of the Prophet with regard to Egypt :' O 2 ioo CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

are the noblest of the of them in action the most foreigners ; gentlest ; Fol. 29 a excellent of them in character, and the nearest of them in kinship to the Arabs generally, and to the tribe of Kuraish in particular.' Mahomet 1 ' also said emphatically : God ! God is among the protected people, 2 the people of the desert, the blacks, the men with curling hair . They are related [to the Arabs] and akin to them, in distinction from all the other protected peoples.'

Mission from Mahomet to the Mnkankis.

3 Mahomet sent Hatib ibn Abi Balta ah, of the tribe of Lakhm, to the Mukaukis, governor of Alexandria, to urge him to adopt the religion

' the noblest of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-Asi says : The people of Egypt are all foreigners; the gentlest of them in action, the most excellent of them in character, and the nearest of them in race to the Arabs generally and to the

Kuraish in particular/ i. p. rr . 1 Cf. Ibn Hisham in his Life of Mahomet :

' Abd Allah ibn Wahb informed us, quoting from 'Abd Allah ibn Lahi'ah, who reported the words of 'Umar the freedman of Ghufrah, that the Apostle of God

: black said God ! God is among the protected people, the natives of the soil, 6 the dark-coloured people, the people with curling hair,' i. p. t . 2 It is said to have been the curling hair of Mary the Coptic maiden which attracted the admiration of Mahomet.

3 The mission ot Hatib took place in a.h. 6 = a.d. 628, at the time when Mahomet also sent envoys with the same object to the king of Persia, Hera- of clius, emperor of the Romans, the prince of Ghassan, the governor Yemen, and the Negus of Abyssinia. Ibn Hisham compares this proceeding of the Arabian prophet with the sending out of the twelve apostles by Jesus Christ. See

ff. 1

al-Athir, ii. p. rrv ff. THE THREE HAMRAS. 101

did so. returned to of Islam ; but he not do Hatib, when he Mahomet, 1 brought him as a gift four maidens, among whom was Mary the Copt, Duldul 2 his ass and and Sirin, her sister, and his mule , and Ya'fur, 3 a purse of money, and a eunuch whom the Mukaukis also sent with 4 them. Mary became the mother of Ibrahim . Her sister Sirin was to Hassan 5 the and she became the mother given by Mahomet , poet, of 'Abd ar-Rahman, his son.

The Three Hamras.

in the three 6 Section which are mentioned great Hamras , which are Al-Kuswa, Al-Wusta, and Al-Hamra ad-Dunya. According to the Khitat of Al-Kindi, in a copy of the Futiih Misr, the Hamra were a people of the Romans, among whom were the Banu Nabih and the Banu '1-Azrak and the Banu Rubil a of the Persians ; or, perhaps, people ; and 'Amr ibn al-'Asi named them Al-Hamra, because they were not Arabs, and had become Christians.

1 Mary is described as being exceedingly beautiful, of fair complexion, with curling hair. She became a Mahometan, and the prophet took her as his concubine. She died in a.h. 15 or 16. See authorities referred to in last note. The Sural at-Tahrim refers to Mary the Copt. 2 is first in see Ibn This said to have been the mule seen Arabia ; al-Athir, ii. p. rr* . 3 The eunuch's name was Ma'bur; see Ibn al-Athir, ii. p. rrv . 4 Ibrahim, the son of Mahomet and Mary the Copt, lived to the age of fifteen months, and died in a.h. io = a.d. 631, so that Fatimah was the only child of Mahomet who survived him. 5 Hassan ibn Thabit died at Madinah a.h. 54 = a. d. 674; see An-Nawawi,

Tahdhib al-Asmd, p. r.r f. 6 The three quarters named Hamrd, a word which is apparently the feminine

' of ahmar, red,' lay between Al-Fustat and Cairo. The quarters or suburbs of Al-'Askar and Al-Kata'i' were subsequently built upon their site. The Hamras were founded at the time of the conquest of Egypt by the Arabs, but fell into decay about the time of the fall of the Omeyyad dynasty. Al-Makrizi (Khitat, i. and Ibn p the foundation of the three Hamras p. ru) Dukmak (iv. p. f.) mention in terms similar to those employed by our author here and below, fol. 32 a ff. 102 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 Fol. 29 b The Hamra which is known as Al-Kantarah is the al-Wusta, , place where the Red Standard stood at the time of the conquest of Misr the Arabs and around it were by ; gathered those who asked protection [of the Muslims], and marched in their rear-guard. On this account 2 the place was called Al-Hamra .

Monastery and Church of Saint Mennas.

The 3 named after the Mennas 4 the of the monastery martyr , owner three crowns 5 which to , came down him from heaven, who was a native

1 See above, fol. 23 b. 2 In this passage we have a different account of the origin of the name Al-Hamra, deriving it not from the appellation of a tribe, but from the Red Standard {Ar-Rdyat al-Hamrd). 3 Between Al-Fustat and Cairo, in the Hamra, which was afterwards called Kanatir as-Saba'. A church and monastery of Abu Mina. are still existing, but better known to-day as Mari Mina. They are fully described in Coptic Churches, i. p. 47; and in ii. p. 362 a brief legend is given, identifying the saint with the church at Maryut. Under the Sultan An-Nasir Muhammad ibn Kala'un, the and church of Abu Mina were wrecked but monastery ; they have since been restored see ii. 1 r . ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. (A. J. B.) 4 The festival of St. Mennas is kept by the Copts on Hatur i5 = Nov. 11, and by the Roman Church on the same day. It is said that his father was a native of Nakyus, but was appointed governor of the province of Africa. Under Diocletian, Mennas, who was then serving in the army, was beheaded on account of his attachment to the Christian religion, and was buried near Lake Mareotis. See Bib. Nat. MS. Arabe 256 {Synaxarium), ff. 53 b-54 b. Amelineau,

Actes des MM. de 88 ff. i. St. V&glise copie, p. ; Eutychius, Annates, p. 402. Mennas is represented in Coptic paintings accompanied by camels, because some beasts from the sea like camels prevented his body from being carried away from the spot where it was destined to be buried, and when the body was laid on the back of three in camels succession, each refused to move in spite of blows; see Synaxarium. 5 This is an allusion to the legend that St. Mennas saw heaven open, and the martyrs wearing beautiful crowns, such as were afterwards bestowed upon him. MONASTERY AND CHURCH OF SAINT MENNAS. 103 of 1 and whose is buried in the church 2 at Nakyus , pure body 3 was restored in the of Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik Maryut , caliphate ibn Marwan, when Al-Walid ibn Rufa'ah was wall, at the expense of all lived in in A. the Christians who that quarter, H. 106 (a. d. 725). This was after the conflict with the Arabs, when the Christians complained to the wali that their women and children were not secure from molestation while going to and returning from the churches in Misr, especially on the nights of the Forty Days' Fast. In consequence of these outrages a great number of the Arabs were killed. There were in this chief men the Christians quarter many among ; so they were allowed to restore their churches, and they began to rebuild Al-Hamra, and to renew what had been destroyed there. They 4 renewed the church Saint and made for it beautiful [of Mennas] ,

1 The Arabic Nakyus was called NikIovs or NikIov by Greek authors, and Niciu in the Itinerary of Antoninus. It is a town frequently mentioned by Coptic writers. It is also called Ibshadi (<^^UjI) in the Copto-Arabic lists of names, and is the Coptic nctj<5/f\ The modern village of Ibshadi, which in 1885 had

is on the site of the ancient it is in the district 1,059 inhabitants, probably Nakyus ; of Manuf, in the province of Al-Manufiyah, and a little to the east of the Rosetta branch of the Nile. See Wort. iv. a 1 . i. Yakut, Geogr. p. ; Quatremere, Me'm. pp. 420-446; Ame'lineau, G/ogr. pp. 277-283. 2 It is said that the grave of St. Mennas at Lake Mareotis remained for some time unknown, until a princess was cured of leprosy by mould from it. then a over The emperor erected church it, which was replaced by a larger built church by Arcadius and Honorius. See Synaxarium, loc. cit., and Ame'lineau,

Actes des MM. p. 90. 3 This town, the Coptic JUL

vessels of silver and other things. They also bought much property, in which were two wells with waterwheels and all Fol 30 a besides a garden ; this property was occupied by houses. In the church was a large tank. Several churches in the upper story [of Saint Mennas] were 1 the church of Saint which is said to have rebuilt, namely George , dedicated to Saint Theodore 2 and a church named been originally ; 3 . was" in in after the martyr Saint John There it, [I mean] the Great Church of Saint Mennas, the body of the martyr Saint John, 4 on a stand of solid wood . The river was near to this church, but afterwards receded from that place, and changed its bed until it 5 reached the church of Theodore at Damanhur upon the river, and did damage to that church, and afterwards removed to the church of the Lady at Shubra. The church of Saint John was restored, after the fire 6 the most honourable Shaikh Ibn Abft '1-Fada'il ibn , by

1 For the arrangement of these satellite churches or chapels, see Coptic

Churches, i. p. 137. (A. J. B.) 2 Our author does not state whether this is St. Theodore the Greek or Western the Eastern St. (Amshir 28 = Feb. 22), St. Theodore (Tubah i2=Jan. 4), or Theodore of Shutb (Abib 2o=July 14). 3 There are four martyrs of the name of John in the Coptic calendar, commemorated respectively on Abib n=July 5, and 19= July 13, Ba'unah 14 = June 8, and Tut 7 = Sept. 4. 4 Similar reliquaries may still be seen in some of the churches : as a rule, however, relics are enclosed in small bolsters of silk and placed in an aumbry. One moveable reliquary such as that of the text, the only one at Cairo, is to be found at the church of Al-Mu'allakah in the Roman fortress. In the Natrun desert, Dair as-Suriyani contains another, and a third belongs to the chapel of Al-'Adhra the church of Anba Bisha'i while several bodies are at Dair adjoining ; preserved Abu Makar. See Coptic Churches, i. pp. 219, 304, 320-1, 338, &c. (A.J.B.) 5 Damanhur Shubra, close to Cairo; not to be confounded with Damanhur in the Delta. These alterations of the course of the river are partly but imperfectly indicated upon the plan in vol. i. of Mem. de la Mission Archeol. Franc., showing the is the topography of Cairo. But plan incomplete. (A. J. B.) 6 The burning of Al-Fustat by order of Shawar. T MONA STER I A ND CHURCH OF SA INT MENNA S. 1 05

Abu Sa'id, in the caliphate of Al-Adid, and the vizierate of Shawar. The church of the Holy Nativity looks upon the courtyard of the Great Church, and so does a very small church which was renewed by Abu Ghalib ibn Abi '1-Makarim al-Bilbaisi, and named after Saint Mercurius.

1 In the Great Church there is an ambon of coloured marble, the is red and it is marble greater part of which transparent ; supported by pillars, of skilful workmanship. There is also an episcopal chair of wood. Near [the ambon], on the north side, there is an altar, dedicated to the martyr Mercurius, and provided by the Shaikh Abu 1-Fadl, son Fol. 30 b 2 of the bishop, which has a wooden tablet upon it. Above the altar in 3 the there is a wooden marble sanctuary, cupola , supported by pillars ; and upon this altar too there is a wooden tablet. this church is the entered a door Near monastery, by separate ; and here there are a number of nuns, in separate habitations. In the monastery there is a well of running water, which was dug and sounded and furnished at the expense of the Shaikh Abu Zakari As-Sairafi, in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz. the entrance the bakehouse 4 in Within sanctuary was [the to] , which is an ancient tomb. This bakehouse was selected by the Shaikh ibn the son of the 5 Al-As'ad Salib Mikha'il, hegumen , who separated

1 We are still occupied with the church of St. Mennas. 2 tablet is a feature of the altars see The wooden common Coptic to-day ;

Coptic Churches, ii. pp. 3-5, and the woodcut there given. (A. J. B.) 3 This is a reference to the baldakyn so often seen in the Coptic churches.

(A. J. B.) 4 The Bait al-'Ajin or 'House of Ddugh' is the chamber in which the eucharistic breads are prepared. (A. J. B.) 5 The Greek fjyoifievos, borrowed through the Coptic. A commoner form of the word in Arabic is ^^U (kummus). The hegumen is properly, of course, the abbot of a and the office of ordination of the refers to the monastery ; hegumen entirely duties of an abbot; see e.g. the office in MS. Bodl. in. The title of hegumen, to however, is often given to priests of a superior rank, as, for instance, the priest in charge of the patriarchal church of Cairo. Cf.Vansleb, Hist, de I'Eglise d 'Alex. p. 178. P [IT- 7-] io6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

it off, and made it a church, dedicated to Saint George, with a separate door near the Great Church, and also a door from the sanctuary. When he had completed this church, it was consecrated by the bishop Anba of in the of Anba 1 the Mark, bishop Cairo, presence Jonas , patriarch; and the liturgy was celebrated in it. Much opposition was made by evil-minded Muslims during the furnishing of this church, and so the Christians explained that it right- a fully belonged to this [Great] Church, and was not new building ; and God helped the right, and those among the Muslims who knew, testified that it had been a chamber within the church, according to the testimony of those who lived near the church. Pol. 31 a stands and is situated and This church among gardens, beautifully ; is much frequented by the monks and others. In the month of Jumada the First, in the year 559, when the Kurds and the Ghuzz came with Salah ad-Din Yiisuf ibn Ayyub, and the king of the Franks^ was appealed to for help against them, then this monastery and this church were burnt to the ground, except the 3 and the northern and southern sides of the which were apse , sanctuary, preserved intact. These were restored, and domes and arches were built, and piers [were set up] instead of the marble columns, in the c caliphate of Al- Adid, and in the vizierate of Shawar. The expenses were paid by the most excellent Shaikh Salib, already mentioned, and by Karim ad-Daulah ibn 'Ubaid ibn Kurrus al-Jullal, and by ibn of and others and out of the Mansur Salim al-Jullal, Cairo, by ; money brought by Makarim ibn Abu '1-Minna, the priest of the Church of the Lady, called Al-Mu'allakah, at Misr, to Anba Jonas, the patri- as a consecration fee 4 that he make him of arch, , might bishop

1 Otherwise called John, the seventy-second patriarch, a. d. 1147-1167; Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 517-530. 2 3 See Introduction. See note on fol. 5 a. p * is the Greek ei 0T0V '- a used as an ecclesiastical term Shartimiyah (ll'^]o) x P , for 'ordination' or 'consecration.' The fact that it had acquired the secondary meaning which it bears in the text points to the existence of simony to a considerable extent among the Copts. MONASTERV AND CHURCH OF SAINT MENNAS. 107

1 the of such fees is forbidden the Tunbudha , although acceptance by canons. So the patriarch accepted the money for this object, and [the priest] was consecrated bishop. [The expenses were also paid] out of the money raised by the sale of the silver vessels belonging to the church. By the restoration, the church was completely furnished, as it it and the was said in it. had been before ; and was consecrated, liturgy The church of Saint John, which has already been mentioned, built Pol. 31 b above the Great Church 2 was restored the Shaikh Khassat ad-Daulah , by Abu '1-Fada'il, known by the name of Ibn Dukhan, and was conse- in crated, and the liturgy was said in it. He also rebuilt, front of it, a fallen to ruin built tower, close to it, which was old and had ; he it in three stories in a place which belonged to the monastery. This and the furnishing were [partly] paid for by the most excellent Shaikh the above mentioned. tower was Salib, The not, however, completed ; and the cause of the delay was Abu '1-Barakat, son of the excellent Shaikh Abu '1-Fakhr ibn Sibuwaih. While the aforesaid church was being restored, the greater part of the monastery was destroyed. [The Shaikh Salib] also dug a great well for a water-wheel. He also built the first story of the tower, and half of the second and he was efforts to finish story ; making it, when ' he was addressed by the aforesaid Abu '1-Barakat, who said : None shall finish this work but I, with my own money.' In the courtyards outside this church there are burying-grounds. The rest of the monastery and the pavilion have not been finished up to this time. Five wells have been dug in this monastery, and in the courtyards which surround it and are its property. The greater part of the houses and the shops, bought for this when it were ruined and those remained monastery was restored, ; which

1 Or Tanbadhah (j'jJIjis), see Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. 00., whereas in i. p. r*o he gives ^j^lk It was the Coptic T

' Two Brides' on account of their see cit. i. rso . ( u L,j,3tH) beauty ; Yakut, op, p. 2 Of St. Mennas. P 2 io8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

were left deserted, and were surrounded by ruins. Then they were sold Fol. 32 a by Anba Mark, bishop of Misr, to a certain man, who demolished them, and carried the bricks and the timber so that this away ; monastery remained in the midst of ruins, among the mounds of rubbish. Among the dependencies of the church, within the wall which

surrounds it, and on the northern side, there is a church, named after 1 Saint Theodore, which is suspended and supported on marble columns. This church was wrecked, and its columns were carried away, and it was into a in of a minaret turned mosque, the caliphate Al-Hakim ; and was

built for it. The architectural features and the wall of this church remain

outside the fabric. There is also, in the Hamra al-Wusta, a church after Saint 2 built in the of and named Coluthus , caliphate Al-Amir, under the government of Suwarr ibn Rufa'ah, on ground bought by the Christians from the tribe of Banii Fahm it stood near the baths of Ibn ; 3 Najah, and the alley named Zukak ibn 'Akil .

The Three Hamrds.

According to the Book of Al-Khitat, by Al-Kindi, the three 1 Hamrds were the Hamra al-Kuswa, the Hamra al-Wusta, and the

1 Any building resting upon columns is called 'suspended' (jli*). (A.J. B.) 2 This saint, whose festival is kept by the Copts on Bashans 2 5 = May 20, was a priest, and his sister was married to Arrianus, governor of the Thebaic! under Diocletian. Coluthus suffered martyrdom by decapitation after terrible tortures. See De miraculis S. Catal. Codd. Georgii, Colutht, &c, Rome, 1794 ; Zoega, Copt. cod. xli des p. 237, ; Amelineau, Actes MM. p. 21.

The form of the name Kullah is to (jjAs) analogous Jirjah (*.), Sirjah (iay-i), Tadrah Kurrah Andunah and to forms such as JJo.3, (s,jli'), (ip), (ajjJjI), &c, Syriac derived from the Greek vocative; see Noldeke, Syr. Gram., p. 79. Cf. Coptic KoXee, &c.

3 c ' Ibn Dukmak calls it The of Sahl ibn 'Akil \jJ-^ Jvic ^ J4- (jlSj Alley in the Hamra;' see Kitdb al-Intisdr li-wdsitah 'ikd al-amsdr, iv. p. rt* . 4 Here follows an account of the laying out, at the time of the Arab conquest and of the first foundation of Al-Fustat, of the three quarters called respectively the Further, Middle, and Nearer Hamras. A similar account of the first laying out THE THREE HAMRAS. 109

Hamra ad-Dunya, and the first part of them was that which was laid out by the tribe of Bill ibn al-'Umar ibn al-Haf ibn Kuda ah, from the street called Darb Az-Zajjajin, by which the market-place called Suk Wardan is entered, to the alley called Zukak Abu Farwah, or its vicinity, and it ends at the passage called Khaukhat al-Istabl in the Hamra. That which was laid out by the tribe of Banu Bahr ibn Suwadah ibn Afsa extends from the Hamra ad-Dunya, opposite the Fol. 32 b mosque of Al-Kurun, to the covered passage called Sakifat as-Sari or its vicinity. That part of the Hamra al-Wusta which was laid out by Hadhil ibn Madrakah extends from the guard-house of Abu 1 '1-Mahajir or its vicinity to the place called Bain al-Kumain . That

of these is i. m a and Ibn iv. quarters given by Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. , by Dukmak, p. i* f. It is difficult at the present day to identify many of the points described. 1 Bain al-Kumain is south of the Roman fortress where Dair Bablun and

Dair Tadrus are situated. Jabal al-Kabsh is a rocky elevation in the quarter of Ibn Tulun, and upon it stood the well-known Kal'at al-Kabsh, of which a good illustration with an interesting note is given in R. Hay's Illustrations of Cairo, London, 1840, fol. The hill on which this castle stood was also called Jabal Yashkur. As far as I am aware there is no moat or canal at the foot of the hill now. But it is evident so far that Abu Salih is speaking of a quarter extending from the Bab Ibn Tulun across the present rubbish-mounds in a south-westerly direction to Dair Bablun. The mention of St. Mennas below gives another fixed

if it be identified with the Dair this point, may present Mari Mina ; and would show that Al-Hamra extended also west of the line from Bab Ibn Tulun to Dair

Bablun, in the direction of the Khalij. Finally Dair Abu 's-Saifain, lower in the text, is described as situated in the Hamra ad-Dunya. Al-Makrizi states that under the Abbaside caliphs the Further Hamra was again built over, and called Al-'Askar, so that a plain which had grown bare save for the Christian monasteries dotted over it was once more covered with houses. See Hamaker's Expugnatio Memphidis, notes, p. 102. In the Memoires de la Mission Arch/otogique Frangaise an Caire, 1 881-1884, there is an essay on the early topography of Cairo, illustrated with four plates, which are exceedingly interesting and, as far as they go, most valuable. But the author has strangely neglected this region of Old Cairo and

Al-Hamra, devoting all his learning and talent to the Fatimide city. On p. 417 there is a (torn, i) brief note upon Al-Hamra, which certainly makes the boundaries no CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

part which was laid out by the tribe of Banu '1-Azrak extended from the Hamra al-Kuswa to the street of Yashkur ibn Jazilah ibn Lakhm, and to Al-Kantarah and its road, down to the moat or canal, at the foot of the Jabal al-Kabsh, and to Al-Majaiz and the monastery of Mary or its the flat the hill is all after vicinity ; and below named Yashkur, from the cemetery and the mosque of Al-Khaluk and the pool of Karun and the hill of Yashkur ibn 'Udwan ibn Lakhm. The Book of Al-KJiitat also relates that the tribe of Banu Kinanah ibn 'Amr ibn al-Kibr ibn Fahm laid out that part of the Hamra al-Wusta. which extends from the alley of Sahl ibn 'Akil to the conduit where the wheat-sellers are, and the alley called Zukak at-Turmus, opposite the church of Saint Mennasj and that the tribe of Banu Rubil, whose ancestor Rubil was a Jew, laid out part of Al-Hamra, as far as the monastery of Mary, north of the gardens of Hawi and the mosque of Al-Khaluk on the flat. The sons of Yashkur ibn Jazilah ibn Lakhm laid out part of the Hamra al-Kuswa, namely the open place of Ad-Dunya and that of Ar-Rayah, and the road of Khulan from the Darb al-Kantarah to the market-place of Wardan, and from the road Fol. 33 a of Al-Hamra and the part beyond it on the Nile, which is called

' ' the place of Al-Kaba'il, to the stable and to the baths of As-Salib

' 1 or the Church .'

of the district too narrow : and it is not even marked on the plan which professes to show Fustat Misr in the year 969 a.d. The old bed of the river is well shown

in contrast with the present line : but there again the plan seems to me erroneous, inasmuch as for the whole river frontage of Old Cairo the present line of the bank is given, and the divergence of the old channel from the present channel is made to begin at a point by the Fum al-Khalij and to extend only northward of that point, whereas there can be little doubt that even in the tenth century the bed of the river southward from Fum al-Khalij to Kasr ash-Shama' was still eastward line. of the present (A. J. B.)

1 The baths of Al-Fustat and Cairo often changed their names. The bath

of 'the Church' (;l~j3o!) was named after the church of St. Sinuthius, which stood

near it. This bath was also called the 'Bath of the Vault' See (jJill J+s*).

Ibn Dukmak, iv. p. i.i, CHURCH OF SAINT ONUPHRIUS. in

Church of Saint Onuphrins.

1 2 also is the church of Saint the In the Hamra Onuphrius , holy man, the pilgrim, the contemplative, which was restored by a woman named Turfah, according to the testimony of an [inscribed] board which was of near the well which is now filled and put up at the door it, up ; through this door the women entered. Near this church were the ; houses where lived Amin al-Umana Abu 1-Yaman Sums ibn Makrawah, son of Zanbur, who was nazir of the Delta, and his son the incom- parable vizier, the lord of those that wield the sword and the pen, 3 Abu Sa'd Mansur . The latter was sent out to meet Nasir ad-Daulah 4 5 ibn Hamdan and the tribes of Kais and Lawatah , the traitors, and a of the chief officers of the were with him this was in the body army ; caliphate of Al-Mustansir. Abu Sa'd remained vizier for a short time only, for the soldiers demanded their pay of him, and he promised it and then fled, and his career came to an end. At the entrance of the sanctuary in this church [of Saint Onuphrius], there was a threshold of black granite, upon which were figures carved

1 Ibn i mentions this church as Dukmak (i. p. .a)

' The church called after Abu Nafar : this church is in the Middle Hamra in the street of Kibarah, near the mosque which is there.' 2 This saint, called in Arabic Abu Nafar. whose festival is kept on Ba'unah 16 = June 10, and by the Roman church on June 12, was a hermit in Upper Egypt.

His life was written by St. Paphnutius (see below, fol. 65 b), of whom Onuphrius was an elder contemporary. See Sy?iaxaritim, Paris MS. Arabe 256, fol. 228; Acta SS. at June 12, where versions of the life by Paphnutius are given. Onuphrius would seem to have died about a. d. 400. 3 Vizier for a few days only to Al-Mustansir. See As-Suyuti, Hum al-

ii. 1 of Mem. ii. Miihadarah, p. ; Quatremere, p. 353. 4 The Kais were an Arab tribe who settled in Egypt soon after the Mahometan conquest. See Al-Maknzi, translated by Quatremere, Mem. ii. p. 207 ff. 5 The Lawatah were a tribe of North Africa, of Berber origin, who settled in Egypt. According to Al-Makrizi they pretended to be of Arab descent and

connected with the tribe of Kais. See ii. trans- great Yakut, p. riv ; Al-Makrizi,

lated by Quatremere. Me'm. ii. p. 207. ii2 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

and painted in the style of those in the ancient temples, and it was placed there to prevent the little birds from going into the sanctuary, or into the tank and it is said that a from who ; man Upper Egypt, visited this church, passed the night here, and imagined that he could 1 decipher certain letters upon the stone . In this way the tank was freed from the little birds which went into it. Fol. 33 b The church was burnt during the fire of Misr, in the month of Safar, c A.H. 564 (a.d. 1 169), in the caliphate of Al- Adid, and the vizierate of Shawar. It was afterwards restored, with its domes and arches, by the Shaikh Abu '1-Makarim ibn Hanna the scribe, and by other Christians. Among the churches attached to this church of Saint Onuphrius, there restored is, on the ground floor, a church dedicated to Saint Coluthus, by Abu '1-Fakhr ibn Furaij ibn Khuwair, [who was priest] in the church 2 of the Island of Misr in the is the church of ; and, upper story, Saint Mennas, built by the Shaikh Sa'id ad-Daulah ibn Munja ibn Abu Zakari ibn as-Sarid. There is also a church of the Pure Fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, restored by the Shaikh Abu Sa'id Gabriel c ibn Buktur, known as Ibn al-A raj, and afterwards by Abu '1-Fakhr, the 3 scribe of salaries known as Sa'idan. There is also the church of Saint , 4 restored the Shaikh Abu the scribe of salaries of Or , by '1-Fakhr,

1 This may, of course, have been a mere exercise of fancy, or it may point to a traditional knowledge of the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics as well as of the

hieratic and demotic scripts, long preserved in Upper Egypt. The bishop Pisentius, in the seventh century, learnt in a monastery to decipher demotic the names of see Contes et romans de papyri containing mummies ; Amelineau,

Vfigypte chre't. i. p. xxxix. 2 The Island of Misr is north of Raudah or Roda, the large island in the Nile nearly opposite to Old Cairo. There was a Coptic monastery upon this island called

its to the . Dair ash-Shamd, doubtless from proximity Kasr ash-Shamd (A. J. B.) 3 I. e. one of the secretaries who superintended the payment of the officials of the government. 4 Hur, whose festival is kept on Kihak 2 = Nov. 28, is a saint famous in the annals of Egyptian monasticism. His name appears as *%> in Greek, and as

P,(JOp in Coptic, and Or in Latin. He was an abbot in Upper Egypt. Sayings CHURCH OF SAINT 0NUPHR1US. 113

1 2 the Diwan al-Majlis . The Great Church [of Saint Onuphrius] was restored by Abu '1-Faraj ibn Zanbiir, in Barmahat of the year 899 of the Righteous Martyrs (a.D. 1183); and it became a patriarchal church in Tubah of the year 900 (a.D. 1 183-4), through the agency of the aforesaid.

It is in the Guide to the Festivals 7 that, stated, ', on the 7th of Kihak, Ibn Katib al-Farghani was beheaded. It was he who superintended

of his are among the Apophthegmala Patrum. See his life in Rosweyde, Vitae

Pairurn, p. 714 f.; cf. Zoega, Cat. Codd. Copt. p. 299; Synaxarium (Paris MS. Arabe

ad diem Acta SS. at is the 256), ; Aug. 7. The prefix Aba (1>1) Coptic <.n?, generally written in Coptic as

Copts. The Synaxarium says at Hatur 17 :

'The 17th day of Hatur, on which, as it is agreed by the Guides of Alexandria, and the Guide written by Anba Jonas, bishop of Kift, and the Guide of the Melkites, the death of Saint John Chrysostom is commemorated/ &c. (Paris MS. Arabe 256.) The ordinary Synaxaria, however, do not mention the death of this Coptic martyr Ibn Katib. q en. 7] ii4 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Fol. 34 a the construction of the Nilometer 1 in A. H. 2 D. and his , 247 (a. 864), body is in the church of Saint Coluthus, which was a separate church in the caliphate of Al-Amir, and has already been mentioned, in connection with the church of Saint Mennas in the Middle Hamra. At the time of the fire already mentioned, the threshold of black granite, which has been described, was removed and placed at the outer entrance, near a well of running water, where there is a burying- ground. The garden which lies opposite to this church was its property, until it was sequestrated by the Diwan of the government, in the caliphate of Al-Amir. The material of all the houses in the neighbourhood, the property of Ibn Zanbur, was sold, and the ground was turned into a single courtyard, in which was a well with a water-wheel, skilfully constructed. All this property was bought, and devoted to the use of the church, by the Shaikh Sanfat al-Mulk Abu '1-Faraj,

1 This was in the caliphate of Al-Mutawakkil, the Abbaside, and under Yazid ibn 'Abd Allah the Turk, governor of Egypt. 2 The date here given corresponds with that generally recorded by Arab historians for the completion of the Nilometer. Some repairs were carried out by Ahmad ibn Tulun twelve years later, but Al-Makrizi, As-Suyuti, and Al-Ishaki agree that the Nilometer had been very little altered up to their own time, and there is no doubt that it remains substantially the same now. The pointed arches used in the construction of this Nilometer are about sixteen years older than those in the mosque of Ibn Tulun, and they are of course much older than any example of the pointed arch in Gothic architecture. Lane thinks it probable that both the mosque and the Nilometer were built by the same architect. It was known that the mosque of Ibn Tulun was built by a Copt, and if Lane's theory is correct, we have his name in Ibn Katib al-Farghani, the Coptic architect of the Nilometer.

See Lane's Modern vol. ii. S. Lane Poole's Art the Egyptians, p. 341 (App. F) ; of

Saracens in vol. ii. Egypt, pp. 54-55 ; Murray's Egypt, pp. 174, 232 (6th ed.).

Pococke (vol. i. p. 29) gives a cut showing a plan and section of the Nilometer, and claims credit for its but he exhibits not special accuracy ; circular, pointed arches. Norden's section is better see his el de ; Voyage d'figypte Nubie,

Copenhagen, 1755, fol., plate xxvi. (A. J. B.) CHURCH OF SAINT ONUPHRIUS. 115

c son of the Shaikh 'Ilm as-Su ada Abu '1-Yaman, son of the Shaikh Sani'at al-Mulk Abu '1-Faraj ibn al-Wazir, who handed over the ' management to the Shaikh Abu 1-Makarim ibn Hanna, and to those whom he should choose after him. This church was included within the fortress built by Shawar the vizier, who constructed a passage leading to the church, at which you arrive from the entrance of the of Al-Kurun 1 in the nearer Hamra. This was built mosque , mosque by As-Sahri ibn Al-Hakam. To this church belonged the hegumen Fol. 34 b Bashir ibn a native of 2 wise an-Nashr, Munyat al-Umara , who was and learned, a good priest, sweet-voiced, beautiful in countenance, perfect in stature, respected by men. The Shaikh Abu '1-Fadl ibn al-Uskuf, scribe of Al-Afdal Shahanshah, was assiduous in his prayers in in it this church, and communicated ; and when he had received the 3 eucharist, each day that he came, he threw into the plate a dinar for this priest, on account of the pleasure which he took in his ministration and the sweetness of his voice. This priest was drowned in the Bahr

God rest to his soul ! al-Jizah ; may give

1 According to Ibn Abd al-Hakam, whom our author is probably following, this mosque was rebuilt by As-Sahri (or As-Sirri) ibn al-Hakam, after it had been burnt and was called the its down, Mosque of Horns {^/), because pillars

resembled horns! See Ibn Dukmak, iv. p. ai . 2 A small town in the neighbourhood of Cairo, on the road to Alexandria. Yakut places it one parasang from the capital. It was famous for its Sunday cattle-market, and for the wine which was made there in large quantities. Of

the latter commodity no less than 80,000 jars are said to have been destroyed in the inundation of a. h. 7 18 = a. d. 13 18. As it may be inferred from this statement, most of the inhabitants were Christians. The place was also called

Munyat al-Amir and Munyat al-Shiraj. There seem to have been two other places called Munyat al-Amir. Mina, '1-Amir is now included within the district of Badrashain in the province of Al-Jiziyah, and had in 1885 a population of 2,935.

See p . s Revenue-list of a. d. in Yakut, Mushtarik, p. ; 1375 De Sacy's Abd-Allatif,

and ii. ir. v. Fv Rec. de pp.599 676 ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. ; Ibn Dukmak, p. ; VEgypte, ii. p. 218. Cf. below, fol. 61 a. 3 the For tabdk or 'plate' see Coptic Churches, ii. p. 33. (A. J. B.) q 2 ii 6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Church of Saint Mercurius or Abii 's-Saifain.

The Hamra ad-Dunya was formerly called Al-Bawasir, and the river ran by it, and it was also called the Bank of As-Sa'ir. The book of 1 Al-Khitat bi-Misr testifies [that near] the Kaisariyat al-Jamal stands the church dedicated to the 2 and this important martyr Mercurius ; church was upon the bank of the river, which has now receded from it. The church was restored by the father Anba Ephraim, the Syrian, the in the order of succession 3 in the of [sixty-second] , caliphate Al-Imam c Al- Aziz bi-'llah, son of Al-Imam Al-Muizz li-dini 'llah. In ancient times there had been a church dedicated to Saint Mercurius, on the bank of the river, but it was ruined and turned into a storehouse for sugar-canes. Then, in the time of this patriarch, enquiries were made about the creed of the Christians, whether they believed in the truth

1 The passage is slightly corrupt. The reference is, of course, to the Khitat Misr of Al-Kindi, from which our author so frequently borrows. There were many Kaisdriyahs in Cairo and Fustat Misr; and accounts of them are given

ii. ai-i and Ibn iv. . by Al-Makrizi, Khitat, pp. i, Dukmak, pp. rv-p. They were quadrangles, enclosed by a colonnade, and used as market-places or bazaars. The the name was borrowed by Arabs from the famous Caesarium (Kuiadpiov) of Alexandria, mentioned by Strabo, xvi. c. i. and by Pliny, H. N. xxxvi. 14, 4. 2 We are now coming to the history of the present church of Abu 's-Saifain.

The tradition that the Nile came near it consists with the similar tradition concerning Kasr ash-Shama' (see R. Hay's Illustrations of Cairo, where is an excellent sketch of the and the two bastions great Roman gateway adjoining ; see also note upon the plate). The main, and I think decisive, reason for this identification lies in the absolute certainty of the association of the existing church of St. Mercurius or Abu 's-Saifain with the legend attached to the church of St. Mercurius of the text. The story as related to me by the priest of the church, and the legend recorded by Al-Makin in the fourteenth century, are both given in Coptic Churches, i. pp. 124-127: and the one-eyed water-carrier of the legend corresponds with the one-eyed tanner of Abu Salih's earlier version.

(A. j. B.) 3 to 1 Occupied the see from a. d. 977 (?) 98 (?); see Renaudot, Hist. Fair. PP- 366-373- CHURCH OF SA INT MERC URIUS. 1 1 7 or in a lie. So the Christians assembled and went out to the mountain, Fol. 35 a and the Muslims and Jews went out at the same time, on account of a certain event which is related in the history of the church. Many of 1 the Muslim sayyids came forward, and prayed, and cried AlldJm akbar, and implored the assistance of God, but no sign appeared to them. Then the Jews followed them, and still no result followed. Then the patriarch came forward, and the tanner, for whom God had performed a followed and all the orthodox followed them. miracle, him ; people They prayed to the most high God, and burnt incense, and cried eleison 2 three times and God showed his and the Kyrie ; wonders, mountain moved : namely, that part of the Mukattam hills which is near the hill of Al-Kabsh, between Cairo and Misr. This miracle took place through the faith of the tanner, who had plucked out 3 his own eye by the root, and in the presence of Al-'Aziz and the chief men of his government, and the cadis of the Muslims. When

Al-'Aziz had witnessed this great miracle, he said : 'It is enough, ' what has done for and then he O patriarch ; we recognize God you ; ' I added : Desire of me what thou choosest, and will do it for thee.' refused with thanks but Al-'Aziz him The patriarch, however, ; begged to ask for something, and did not cease until the patriarch had asked for a certain church, which had fallen into ruin. So Al-'Aziz Fol. 35 b commanded that this church should be restored for the patriarch, and it is said to have been the church of Saint Mercurius. When the patriarch was about to begin to work upon this church, the common people of the Muslims attacked him. F.or the church had fallen into ruin, and nothing was left to mark it except "the walls, which were also in a state of and it had been turned into a storehouse decay ; for sugar-canes. So the command was issued that it should be restored by the patriarch, and that money should be allowed him from the

1 Or members of the family of the prophet Mahomet. 2 It is well known that this liturgical formula of the first Christians has been mass. preserved in the original Greek in the Coptic ritual, as it has been in the Latin 3 The caliph Al-'Aziz bi-'llah Abu Mansur Nazar, fifth of the Fatimides, reigned from a. h. 365 to 386=a.d. 975 to 996. n8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

took treasury, as much as he should ask for. The patriarch, however, ' the decree, but returned the money, with apologies, saying : God, to to assist in whom be praise, who has shown his great power, is able the erection of houses for his worship, and has no need of this world's money.' And he begged Al-'Aziz to restore the money to its place, to it so the consented to his and not to force him accept ; caliph request. And when the patriarch was hindered, by those who attacked him, from restoring the church to its original state, and when they raised disturbances and showed their indignation at the matter, news was brought to the prince of the faithful, Al-'Aziz bi-'llah, that the common people would not allow the patriarch to carry out the decree for the c restoration of the church. Then Al- Aziz commanded that a body of the his troops and his mamelukes should go and stand by during hinder rebuilding of the fabric, and should repulse any who tried to it, and punish them as they deserved for opposing 'that which we have 1 from decreed to them .' When the people saw this, they refrained their attacks. Thus the work was begun. Now it happened at that time that the Shaikh Abu '1-Yaman Kuzman ibn Mina, the scribe, travelled to Palestine and the surrounding in districts, and remained there a considerable time, employing himself been called and in this he much the work to which he had ; way gained Fol. a lived a for he was not married and none 36 money. He solitary life, ; his servants and he was abstemious and con- lived with him except ;

tented with little, and economical in his way of life. So he brought he the money which he had laid by to the aforesaid patriarch, when was about to return to Syria, to continue the work to which he had of the and he said to the been called by the government caliph ;

' : all this in the of God in patriarch Spend money path ; building churches, and in other pious works for the sick and orphans and the to the will of the most God and he poor, according high ; may impute ' it to as a deed ! So he to to but before me good departed go Syria ; he left he gave two thousand dinars to the monasteries in the desert

1 The first person is used in this last clause only, apparently a quotation from the decree. BURNING OF THE CHURCH OF SA INT MER C URIUS. 1 1 9

Macarius 1 he the monks to remember him in their of Saint , and begged prayers, and to pray for the continuance of peace and a good end. the the restoration 2 and a of the chief So patriarch began , body men and the orthodox laity helped him in this work, and brought him he of various kinds for the restoration and the that which needed ; pages and soldiers and mamelukes of the prince of the faithful stood by with him, to prevent attacks that might be made upon him, until the work was finished with the help of God. Then the church was consecrated, the first was celebrated in on the middle altar and that Pol. 36 b and liturgy it, ; was a day of great joy and exultation over that which God had done from the beginning to the end. After this the patriarch began to restore dilapidated churches, and to renew those parts of them that were falling into decay. All this is related in the Lives of the Patriarchs^ ; but I abridge the account of it here, that it may not be tedious. Thus the churches were put into good order.

Burning and Restoration of the Church of Saint Mercurius.

After the fire of Misr, caused by the mob of Mahometans of that city and of Alexandria, in the caliphate of Al-'Adid, and in the vizierate of Shawar, in the month of Safar, in the year 564 (a.d. 1168), [the church of Saint Mercurius also was the Anba 4 the burnt]. Now patriarch Jonas , seventy-second in the order of succession, had foretold that the last- named church should be burnt, and that this should take place in the time of another and so it came to The cause of the patriarch ; pass. burning of this church was that the Christians had brought many gifts and had for it vessels so the of to it, made many splendid ; mob Muslims desired to pillage it thoroughly, but were unable to do this.

1 That is the Nitrian desert, or Wadi Natrun, where the principal monastery is dedicated to St. Macarius. (A. J. B.) 2 Of St. Mercurius or Abu 's-Saifain.

3 See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 368-371. 4 Or John; he occupied the see from a.d. i 147 to 1167. 120 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

a Pol. 37 Then a large multitude of them assembled and gave way to their fury, and set fire to the church, so that nothing remained except the walls,

and a small chapel within it, which was not burnt. This chapel was dedicated to the 1 and here the continued to be John Baptist , liturgy said, until the Christians decided to restore the Great Church aforesaid.

So they restored it, and completed the sanctuary, and substituted for the roof of timber cupolas and arches of baked brick. The wooden baldakyn over the middle altar was renewed, and a wooden tablet was placed upon the latter. The wooden baldakyn over the middle altar was exceedingly handsome, of skilful workmanship, and supported on four 2 pillars of hard marble . All this was provided by the Shaikh Abu 1-Barakat ibn Abu Sa'id Hablan, the scribe, in the year 892 of the D. 11 3 at his the Righteous Martyrs (a. 75-6) , own expense; except pillars, which were paid for out of the funds of the church, consisting

of that which the chief men subscribed towards it, and that which was brought by the bishops, who were appointed to vacant sees, as a present from them. For this was in the of Mark 4 who was patriarchate Anba , before his as ibn the scribe and known, promotion, Abu '1-Faraj Zar ah, ; this patriarch forbad the acceptance of bribes for consecration, in obedience

' to the command of the law, Cursed is he who receives, and cursed is he

1 There is now no chapel of St. John the Baptist attached to the Great Church of Abu 's-Saifain, though there is a chapel dedicated to St. John the Evangelist.

See the plan of Abu 's-Saifain in Coptic Churches, i. p. 78. It is possible that

the chapel named in the text occupied the east end of the south aisle : and this conjecture is borne out by the subsequent statement of Abu Salih that the in chapel of St. George also escaped the fire : for the chapel of Mari Jirjis is

the i. e. the first floor over the south aisle see ibid. triforium, on directly ; plan, p. 119. (A.J.B.) 2 This description of the altar-canopy resting on marble columns corresponds

with that now existing. The wooden tablet or altar-board has already been

explained. (A. J. B.) 3 This date, with that given below, roughly fixes a. d. 1170-90 as the date earlier. of the present building, although parts are (A. J. B.) 4 The seventy-third patriarch; he occupied the see from a. d. 1174 to 1189. RESTORA TION OF THE CHURCH OF SAINT MERCUR1US. 121

' who and this was one of the deeds of this This gives ; good patriarch. was in the caliphate of Al- Adid, and the vizierate of the most glorious Yusuf an-Nasir ibn brother of Asad ad-Din 1 the Fol. Ayyub, Shirkuh , Kurd, 37 b under the dynasty of the Ghuzz. This restoration was superintended by three architects, among the principal architects of Cairo. This church had been the episcopal church, until the death of Anba. Philotheus, 2 of Cairo but Christodulus transformed it into a bishop ; patriarchal church 3 and an income for the of , appointed Anba Gabriel, successor which he continued to receive from it and that Philotheus, ; arranged

1 he should say liturgies here at fixed times continually, as the manzarah* 5 bears witness. In the upper story of this church was the chapel of

1 Salah ad-Din (Yusuf ibn Ayyub) was, of course, nephew, not brother, of Asad ad-Din Shirkuh. 2 The sixty-sixth patriarch; he occupied the see from a. d. 1047 to 1100. 3 This would be quite a century before the restoration of the church. The existing tribune and patriarchal throne show how the restorers marked the character i. conferred on the church by Christodulus. See Coptic Churches, p. 111, and plan on p. 78. (A. J. B.) 4 This passage refers to some inscription in the manzarah of the church. The manzarah was a gallery in the upper story of a house, church, or mosque, open at the side like an Italian loggia. There is a well-known example of such a manzarah in the still existing mosque of Ka it Bey. The word also denotes, as here, a reception-room on the ground floor: and even a separate pavilion.

(A. J. B.) 5 St. is in triforium The chapel of George (Abu Jirj or Mari Jirjis) the south of the church of Abft 's-Saifain, and the cupola referred to is part of the external fabric, although it rises over the sanctuary. It is curious that Abu Salih here specifies this chapel as escaping the fire which destroyed the main fabric, when he had a little earlier singled out the chapel of St. John as remaining uninjured, and so seemed to imply that no other part of the church survived. The expression 'whole and untouched' is remarkable, and would seem to show, what is otherwise probable, that the fire was of a very partial character : unless the conjecture of a previous note holds good, that the chapel of St. John was actually under that of St. George. It must, however, be noticed that Abu Salih's expression only applies to the haikal and dome, and seems to imply that the rest of the chapel

r [II. 7-] 122 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 with the erected the Shaikh Abu '1-Fadl Saint George , lofty cupola, by whose father received the of Yuhanna, son of Kiil, the bishop ; name John 2 at the time of his promotion as bishop to the see of Atrib . The cupola and the sanctuary, that is to say the altar, and the walls of this chapel remained whole and untouched at the time of the fire. Ibn Abu '1-Fada'il ibn Farruj built an enclosure around this church, which he and it was in also whitewashed and paved ; solemnly opened the year

570 (A. D. 1175).

Church of the ArcJiangel Michael.

3 The church of the angel Michael was the patriarchal Cell from

westward was burnt. I may be pardoned for quoting a description of the existing ' chapel written twelve years before I had seen Abu Salih. The choir of this chapel retains part of the ancient panelled roof which probably once covered the whole triforium. The beams and coffers are sumptuously gilt, and coloured in the style of the thirteenth century : but only faint relics of its former beauty remain.' By putting the date somewhat earlier and merely architectural dates in these churches are not very certain one may possibly identify this ceiling as previous to the general restoration. If not, it certainly dates from that epoch.

(A. J. B.) 1 The Arabic forms of the name George are various, but correspond to different Coptic forms of the same word. We have in Arabic Jirjiyus (^v^*.), and the diminutive form Jirjis (u^j*.), Jirj (?-/), Jirjah (i^j*), Juraij {^./^) ', and in Coptic we find vetcpvioc, vecupvi, veopve, vetopve, recopr, VGOpv, and veop. See Mr. W. E. Crum's Coptic MSS. from the Fayyum,

Index 1. (A. J. B.) 2 The classical Athribis and the Coptic

Damietta branch. Atrib was still a town or village in the fourteenth century and

later. See Wort. i. i. f. Yakut, Geogr. p. in; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. ivo ;

Mini. i. f. Quatremere, pp. 1-25 ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 69 3 Abu Salih now mentions three churches, the church of St. Michael, the church of neighbouring Aba Nub which was destroyed by the fire, and the CHURCH OF SAINT ANUB. 123

1 the time of the promotion of Anba Gabriel Abu 'l-'Ula, son of Tarik the scribe, the seventieth in the order of succession, and after him under Anba. 2 the This Tarik was a Jonas , seventy-second. priest, who lost his and then solicited the rank of but when the wife, bishop ; patriarch demanded money of him, he refused to gain promotion to a rank in the hierarchy by bribery. Then, since he had much wealth, he built this church, and ceased to solicit the dignity of bishop. This Fol. 38 a 3 4 was in the patriarchate of Anba Michael the Sinjarite . The church was restored by the Shaikh As-Sadid Abu '1-Fadail, known as Ibn c Sittumi'ah(?), the scribe of the Emir Ali ibn Ahmad, the Kurd, in the caliphate of Al-Mustadi, the Abbaside, and in the vizierate of An-Nasir

Yusuf ibn Ayyub, in the year 568 (A. D. 1172); and it was solemnly opened on the feast of the angel Michael, the 7th of Hatur, in the year 5 809 of the Blameless Martyrs, when the liturgy was said in it.

Church of Saint Anub.

Adjacent to the last-named church, there is a church dedicated to

church of St. Anthony, built on the same site as Aba Nub. These, I think, were separate buildings, i.e. not part of Abu 's-Saifain; indeed this is proved by the fact of St. Michael being the patriarchal Cell, and having its own courtyard, and by the fact of Aba Nub being turned into a summer residence. But it is remarkable that these three names are found attached to three chapels side by side in the upper story of Abu 's-Saifain : see Coptic Churches, i. p. 119, plan. There can be little question that these three chapels are meant to preserve the names of the three churches which have perished. (A. J. B.) 1 Occupied the see from a.d. 1131 to 1146. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 500-513. 2 Or John. 3 The sixty-eighth patriarch; he occupied the see from a.d. 1093 to 1102. See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 471-483. 4 I.e. of Sinjar, the Coptic nctjirtvepl, in the northern Delta, between Burlus and the marshes. See Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 375. 5 It would seem that this date should be 889 = a. d. 1172. r 2 124 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

the Saint 1 to the of which the glorious martyr Anub , expenses patriarch Anba. Gabriel contributed. It is said that it was founded by Abu finished Nasr, brother of Abu 'l-'Ula ibn Tarik, but was not ; and then was newly built by the Shaikh As-Safi Butrus ibn Muhna, the scribe. Afterwards the priest Abu '1-Khair, known as Ibn al-Amadi, chose to pass the summer at the church of Saint Anub, and in part of the in front of church Michael and here courtyard [the adjacent of] ; the patriarchs generally sat on a wooden dais, to enjoy the coolness during the days of summer. [Saint Anub] was restored as a church after the fire, under the name of Saint Anthony, and was solemnly 2 opened by Anba John, the seventy-ninth patriarch, at the beginning 3 of his patriarchate, in the year 903 of the Righteous Martyrs (a.d. Pol. 38 b 1187). All those named contributed to the expenses of the annual 4 festival. The died in the [dedication] [last-named] patriarch year 92 -j of the on the 1st of Bashans 5 Righteous Martyrs (a.D. 1207), Thursday, ; and in this very year his elder brother the priest died.

Church of Saint Sophia.

There is also an ancient church, broad and spacious, the walls of which became weak, and some of the paintings fell to pieces. It was

1 The Arabic Aba Nub represents the Coptic

Abib Cat. xxiv Actes des ff. 24; Zoega, Codd. Copt. Cod. ; Ame'lineau, MM. p. 145 2 This should be 'seventy-fourth.' 3 There is some difficulty about this date, as the Patriarchal History and Abu '1-Barakat assign the election of John, the seventy-fourth patriarch, to a.m. 905 = a.d. 1 189, and Al-Makrizi makes it only one year earlier; see Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 554-5. Our author, however, is a contemporary witness. 4 The other writers give a.m. 932 = a.d. 12 16 as the date of John's death, which was followed by a vacancy of the see lasting for many years. Oriental

chronology is full of discrepancies ! 5 The Coptic n^-^CJOn^ April 26-May 25. CHURCH OF SAINT MACA It 1 US. 125

1 and the was wonderful for formerly named Agia Sophia ; building its plan and its construction and its symmetry. It was restored at the expense of the Shaikh Safi ad-Daulah ibn Abu Yasir ibn 'Ahvan, the scribe.

Church of Saint Macarius.

2 There is a church named after Saint Macarius attached to the last- , named church. Those parts of it which had fallen to decay were renewed by the deacon Abu Ishak ibn 'Abd al-Masih.

Church of the Four Living Creatures.

There is the church of the Four Angels, who are the Living 3 Creatures which support the most high throne . It was restored by the Shaikh Ibn Amin al-Mulk ibn al-Muhaddith Abu Sa id ibn Yuhanna, the Alexandrian, the scribe, who constructed for it a wooden roof of skilful workmanship, in the year 893 of the Righteous Martyrs (a. D. 1 1 76); [and it was opened] on Wednesday, the 8th of Hatur, which is the festival of the Four Creatures. The church contains their altar the altar of special ; and named after the Presentation the Lord in the and an altar dedicated to the the valiant Fol. 39 a Temple ; martyr,

1 There is no remaining church of this name near Cairo. It would seem to have been named after Justinian's famous church at Constantinople. The rough

breathing is, of course, not pronounced in modern Greek. 2 There are three Saints Macarius especially celebrated in Egyptian hagiology : St. Macarius the of the Nitrian St. of Great, monk Desert ; Macarius the abbot, Alexandria and St. Macarius the of ; bishop Jerusalem. The festival of the Four Creatures iv. Incorporeal Living (Apocalypse 7-9 ;

Ezekiel i. 5 and x) is kept on Hatur 8 = Nov. 4. See Synaxariimi (MS. Arabe 256) ad diem. 126 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 Theodore Basradiladus . The church was restored by Al-Mu'allim Zawin, 2 who was damin of Cairo in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz. Afterwards it fell into decay and ruin, and was restored by the Shaikh Al-Makin Abu known as Ibn Kitamah and when it fell into '1-Barakat, ; again decay, it was restored by Amin ad-Daulah ibn al-Musawwif, who added on the south side of it a sanctuary named after the glorious angel Michael. The church was consecrated by Anba Gabriel, bishop of under the of Salah ad-Din Yusuf 3 the Kurd. Misr, government ,

Other Churches in the Hamras.

4 There is the church of Poemen the Confessor, adjacent to which is a sanctuary named after the Lady, between it and the church of Saint Coluthus 5 which has been described. , already

1 Basradiladus is a transcription of the Coptic TiecTpA/THX^THC, which is the Greek

See Arabe at that Actes des 182 fif. Synaxarium (IMS. 256) day ; Amdlineau, MM. p.

St. Theodorus Dux (ai-paT^XaT?^) is commemorated by the Roman church on

Feb. Acta he suffered under his is 7 (see SS.) ; but, although Licinius, history different from that of the Coptic martyr. The Greek church also commemorates him.

2 3 See note on fol. 12 b. I. e. Saladin. 4 The Arabic Bamin is intended as a transcription of the Graeco-Coptic

ITOIJULHrt. This saint, whose festival is kept by the Copts on Kihak 9= Dec. 5, was one of the famous hermits of Egypt in the fourth and fifth centuries. Some of the acts and of Poemen or Pastor are to be found recorded in sayings Rosweyde ; Arabe ad diem Cat. Synaxarium (MS. 256) ; Zoega, pp. 290, 299, 319, and 340. The Roman church commemorates Poemen on Aug. 24. He is said to have died in a. d. 451, at a very great age. See Acta SS. at Aug. 24. 5 See fol. 32 a ff. MONASTERY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST. 127

There is the church of the glorious angel Gabriel. There is also, after Saint the 1 restored over the tank, a church named John Baptist , by Abu '1-Fath, of Upper Egypt, who was priest at the church of c 2 Al-Mu allakah . It was roofed with great beams. On a recent occasion the blacks determined to pillage this monastery, and they attacked this roof, so that they succeeded in ruining the building. Afterwards it was restored the aforesaid 3 and was on by persons , solemnly opened Sunday, the of Barmahat 4 in the of the Blameless 22nd , year 900 Martyrs (A.D. 1184), by Gabriel, bishop of Misr, and Anba Peter, bishop of the Fayyiim. Near it is the tower, which is entered from the church, and Fol. 39 b beneath which lies the garden; it overlooks the lake of Al-Habash, and the river Nile, and Al-Bustan.

Monastery of Saint JoJin the Baptist.

[Attached to the last-named church is] the monastery of Saint John, which is of beautiful aspect, and wonderful for its situation near the lake of in the time of Nile 5 and in Al-Habash, especially high , spring, and in the ploughing season and seed-time of summer. Yahya ibn al-'Ubaidi the scribe was of this but superintendent monastery ; Gabriel, the seventieth patriarch, called Abu l-'Ula Sa'id, son of Tarik the scribe, was informed that the conduct of this man was worthy of blame, and that he treacherously allowed many Muslims to attend the liturgies. Accordingly the patriarch rebuked him for this time after but he did not amend and at last he time, yet ; was expelled from the monastery, and was obliged to give it up until he should

1 This church as well as the two previously mentioned and those subsequently named as standing near the lake of Al-Habash are unknown, though obviously at the in existing time of our writer, different degrees of repair. (A. J. B.) 2 3 See note on fol. 9 b. Only one has been named. 4 The Coptic cb^jULeitCJ0O = Feb. 25-March 26. 6 Because the lake of Al-Habash, like the other then numerous pools of Cairo, was full of water only at the time of high Nile. Most of the pools within the city were filled up by Muhammad 'Ali, who is said thereby greatly to have the health of at improved the place the expense of its picturesque character. (A. J. B.) 128 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

return to his faith. Yahya. suffered much from this, and at last and consented to abandon his evil habits and so the repented, ; monastery was restored to him. Nevertheless, he returned to his repre- hensible practices, and the remedy employed was of no profit. Therefore Yahya was expelled again, and another was appointed in his place. It is said that through Abu Shakir, the scribe, of Alexandria, the removal of Yahya was facilitated by the condition that he should be allowed to live in the tower, and to have the enjoyment of the garden. Satan induced Yahya. to abandon the Christian religion, and he became a Muslim, and made a kiblah 1 in the bakehouse, and another kiblah over the entrance the and he did to the took into monastery ; much injury monastery. He Fol. 40 a possession of the road by which the monastery was entered, and he separated the tower and the garden from the monastery, and allowed all to enter them but the Christians took measures except Christians ; to open another door, near the first, leading into the monastery only. This was in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz. Thus Yahya had possession of the tower and the garden. When that apostate died, after repenting and neglecting the matter of his religion, his sons acquired possession of the the and use of also garden and pavilion, made them ; and they were Muslims. lake 2 near this stands the Beside the same , monastery, monastery named after Saint John the Baptist, celebrated for its beautiful and pleasant situation, but now in the possession of the Melkites. It was formerly restored by Abu '1-Fadl ibn al-Baghdadi and Abu Nasr ibn \Abdun, known as Ibn al-' Addas, the metwalli of the Divan of Syria, c in the caliphate of Al-Hakim. Ibn al- Addas rose high in the affairs of the and became Nazir his was z government ; sobriquet Al-hamdu lilldhi 'aid md yastahikku.

1 The term kiblah is commonly applied to the niche in the wall of a mosque, showing the direction of Mecca, although this is properly called mihrdb, and kiblah denotes the point to which the eyes are directed in prayer. The meaning here is that set these two the Yahya on places symbol of Mahometan worship. (A. J. B.) 2 I. e. the lake of Al-Habash.

3 ' Praise to God as lie is worthy.' MONASTERY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST. 129

In the upper story of this building was the remarkable manzarali, prepared for the assembling of the novices. Here were a large number of Melkite nuns, who were supported by Abu '1-Fada'il ibn Abi '1-Laith, the scribe, the owner of a garden near this place, which he rented from the Divan of Upper Egypt, and which contained fine palm-trees, pomegranates, myrtles, and many kinds of Fol. 40 b trees, bearing excellent fruit, such as are not to be seen together elsewhere. When this Abu '1-Fada'il died, he left a nephew named Abu '1-Makarim Mahbub, son of Abu '1-Faraj al-'Abudi, whose wife was the sister of Abu '1-Barakat ibn Abu '1-Laith. Abu 1-Makarim deserted the Christian religion, and became a Muslim, and was circumcised at the age of nearly forty years. He laid his hand upon the aforesaid and took of it as of his inheritance he forced garden, possession part ; the nuns to depart from it, and he dismantled the manzarah, and turned it into a mosque. He also weakened the monastery. There he entertained the Imam Al-Hafiz, who visited him there. So the monastery was and more and the Melkites were from weakened more ; prevented visiting it. Then troubles followed one after the other, and the greater part of the monastery and the church fell into decay and perished. The Melkites had a bishop at Misr, named Joseph, who did what lay in his power to renew and restore this monastery; but the restoration remains to this day unfinished, on account of the weakness of the sect, and their small numbers, and the remissness of their head, and his neglect of the supervision of this place and others. The bishop of this sect at Misr began once more to visit this monastery on the Monday of the second week of the Great Fast, together with a great number of Melkites and Copts who assemble to hear the Lenten charge, and the Fol. 41 a instructions which are given them as to what must be done during that season. Moreover, festival is kept in this monastery on the second day 1 of the feast of the bathing .

1 ' The festival of the bathing is otherwise called 'Id al-Maghtas or feast of the tank/ because of the custom of bathing in the church tank, formerly observed by the Copts on that day. The festival is observed in memory of the Baptism of Christ, and it coincides with the western Epiphany, being kept on Tubah 11 = Jan. 6. At the time of our author, the custom of bathing in the Nile on the

S [II. 7 .] 130 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Book the Ash-Shabushti 1 bears witness that The of Monasteries, by , this monastery is on the bank of the lake of Al-Habash, near the river, and that beside it are several gardens, one of which was laid out by of Al-'Aziz bi-'llah in this is the emir Tamim, brother ; and there a pavilion, the roof of which is supported by pillars. The pavilion is beautifully designed, skilfully constructed and adorned, and decorated with near it is a well called Bir beside which paintings ; Naja'i, grows a tall shade and here the assemble sycamore affording much ; people to enjoy the shade, and saunter around the spot, when the Nile is high and the lake is full, and also when the crops are green and the flowers are blooming. Near the aforesaid sycamore is the bridge which leads to many roads, and at which men set lines for fishing during the days of high Nile; and this is a pretty sight. Al-Hakim seized upon part of this monastery and church, and rebuilt it as a with a minaret and his inscribed it. mosque, ; name was upon 2 3 Now the first who constructed minarets in mosques was Mukhallad 4 al-Ansari .

of the was still observed and not the Christians but the night Epiphany ; only Mahometans also followed the practice, and marked the festival by illuminations, and a fair with its usual of them tents beside accompaniments ; many pitching the river. Al-Mas'udi, who witnessed the festival in a. h. 330 = a. d. 942, describes the illuminations and festivities on this night ordered by Al-Ikhshid, then governor of the the festival the Fatimide Egypt ; and Al-Masihi describes observance of by caliph Az-Zahir in a. h. 4I5 = a. d. 1024. See Al-Mas'udi, Murilj adh-Dhahab

ii. f. i. t^p. (ed. Barbier), p. 364 ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. 1 See Introduction. 2 I have changed the order of the sentences to avoid the awkward parenthesis in the text.

3 In a paper which I wrote some years ago in the Athenaeum, 1881, I tried to show that the minaret (i\u = lighthouse) took its origin from the Pharos at

Alexandria (ib,jjl,})1 isiu), and that theory has been rather strengthened than shaken by subsequent research. Al-Makrizi relates that all the early minarets were of brick, and that the first stone minaret was that of the mosque of Al-Maridani see S. Poole's the ; Lane Art of Saracens, p. 59. (A. J. B.) 4 It was not Mukhallad, but his son Maslamah ibn Mukhallad, governor of under the a. h. a. d. 668 to a. h. 62 = a. d. 682 Egypt caliph Mu'awiyah from 47= ; CHURCH OF SAINT VICTOR. 131

The church of Saint George, the property of the Copts, was near the monastery of Saint John the Baptist. It was very large. Afterwards Fol. 41 b the river flooded it, and not a trace of it remained. 2 The district of Al-Habash 1 and the Well of the beside , Steps , which grows a great sycamore, which throws a broad shade and is round 3 like a tent, and the Well of Al-Ghanam , and three feddans of black soil. It is said that these two wells and the land were the property

' of Taj ad-Daulah, the Syrian, son of Sabil, known as the Golden Nose.' It is also said that all this land belonged to the vizier, Abu '1-Faraj, the West-African, in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir, besides quarries of yellow clay at Al-'Adawiyah, of which the [pots called] Khasaf are made. Church of Saint Victor. 4 5 The church dedicated to the martyr Saint Victor stands in the see above, fol. 23 b. Maslamah was the first who made additions to the mosque of 'Amr, by building in a. h. 53= a. d. 673 new structures on the north and east walls roof of the sides of it, and by adding a minaret. He also decorated the and

ii. rfv mosque. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. aSa; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. f.; v As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah, ii. p. . 1 The district of Al-Habash was adjacent to the lake of Al-Habash, and was

is not called in Coptic rueO.YCtJ (Ame'lineau, Geogr. p. 162). It mentioned,

{ only by Abu Selah,' as M. Ame'lineau remarks, but by Yakut, who speaks

{Geogr. Wort. i. p. oil) of

* 1 l^Jl jbjwj:* ^jJU if-M"^. 'j*> r^j^** .

' Gardens named Al-Habash, after which the pool of Al-Habash is so called;' and by Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. lor . 2 So called because a flight of steps led down into it. This well was constructed by Al-Hakim. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. Pi . . 3 Also called 'Well of Abu Salamah.' It is said to have been situated in the most beautiful spot near the lake of Al-Habash. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. Pi . . 4 This church is named in two Copto-Arabic lists of churches and monasteries as 'The church of Saint Victor 1, at Al-Habash.' See Ame'lineau, Geogr. pp. 579 and 581. 5 St. Victor, whose festival is kept on Barmudah 27= April 22, was a soldier s 2 i 3 3 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

district of Al-Habash, near the Well of the Steps. On the wall of the apse of this church, a Coptic inscription was found, giving the 1 date of the paintings upon it, namely the year 759 of the Martyrs D. in the of Sinuthius 2 in (a. 1043), patriarchate Anba , the sixty-fifth the order of succession. At the end of the church were built two altars: one of them after the Saint 3 with his named martyr Cosmas , brothers and his mother, and the other named after Saint John, the of and these were built at the of martyr Aswan ; expense Abu 1-Barakat,

the above mentioned, in the year $J2 (a. D. 1177). In the upper story is a church named after George the Martyr, erected by the Shaikh Al-Makin Abu '1-Barakat ibn Kitamah, the scribe, in the caliphate of Al-Fa'iz 4 and the said shaikh also in the ; rebuilt, year 573 (a. d.i 178), beside the church of Saint Victor, a church named after Fol. 42 a the martyr Saint Mennas, containing a well of running water. Near

this church there is a garden, which belongs to it, but is now a desert, and nothing is left standing in it except palm-trees. Opposite this church, and within the enclosure of the garden known 5 as that which was founded by the vizier Abu '1-Faraj, the West-African,

in the Roman and he was beheaded after manifold tortures in the army ; persecution of Diocletian. See MS. Arabe ad diem Synaxarium (Paris 256) ; Amelineau, Actes des MM. p. 1776".; Zoega, Cat. pp. 113, 239. There are other saints of the name in the calendar.

1 These paintings are again wall-paintings, or 'frescoes;' although the term is not technically correct, as the Coptic artists worked in distemper, not in the

fresh plaster. But this date, fixing the middle of the eleventh century of our era

for the execution of the work, is exceedingly interesting. (A. J. B.) 2 Occupied the see in the middle of the eleventh century, but the date of his election and death are uncertain see Hist. Patr. ; Renaudot, pp. 408-417. 8 Saints Cosmas and Damian with their mother and their brethren were popular saints in Egypt. Their festival is kept on Hatur 2 2 = Nov. 18. 4 The thirteenth of the Fatimide caliphs; reigned from a. h. 549~555 = a. d. 1154-1160. 5 Abu '1-Faraj Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Maghrabi became vizier in a. h. 450,

and remained in office about a See i. year. Al-Makrizi, Khilat, p. roi ; As-Suyuti,

Hum al-Muhddarah, ii. p. 100 . CHURCH OF SAINT VICTOR. 133 in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir, there is another church named after Saint Victor, which is now furnished and complete with its domes and walls. For a long time there was no liturgy there, and when this state 1 of things had long continued, the vizier TalaT ibn Ruzzik commanded that some of the columns should be taken to build the mosque which he founded in that part of Misr named Karafah. The tribe of Karafah were called Banu Hajas or Banu Yusuf ibn Wa'il, and they took up their quarters at this place, when the Arabs conquered Egypt. The was called Karafah 2 a word which means or ' of place , 'copyist,' copyist books ;' and there were many monks here in hermitages and monasteries, and many churches, which the Muslims destroyed when they came with c 'Amr ibn al-'Asi ibn Adi, in the month of Muharram of the year 20 (A. D. 641). Those of the hermitages which remain have been turned by the Muslims into minarets. Then their hands were stretched out, until they built of part of the walls of the hermitages the foundations of this garden, which at the present time is still in cultivation. After- al-Muluk Buri 3 the wards, Al-Ajall Taj , Kurd, brother of Salah ad-Din Fol. 42 b built this Yusuf, many pavilions in garden and outside it, and embellished them with marble and gilding, and spent much money upon them.

1 See note on fol. 7 a. 2 The Greater and Lesser Karafahs were the principal burying-grounds of Cairo and Fustat, and the name is still retained for the well-known cemeterv

' ' where the tombs of the caliphs' and the tombs of the mamluks' stand. The place was selected as a burying-ground immediately after the Arab conquest.

Various accounts are given of the origin of the name : that it was the name of an Arab or of a branch of the tribe of Banu as the text woman; Maghafir ; or, suggests, a word of Greek origin (ypafevs), meaning 'writer' or 'copyist.' See

Wort. iv. Fa ii. . Yakut, Geogr. p. ; Al-Makrizi, Khttat, pp. PPr-FPo 3 A younger brother of Saladin. He was slain at the siege of Aleppo in

1 A. h. 57q = a. d. 183: a disaster which elicited from Saladin the lament :

' The fall of Aleppo has been dearly bought by the death of Buri.' (Abu l'Fida,

Annates, iv. p. 58.) 134 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Monastery of the Nestorians.

In this quarter also is the monastery known as the monastery of the Nestorians, dedicated to Saint George, and enclosed within a surrounding wall of hewn stone. It is beautifully and artistically constructed, and greatly celebrated as a place of resort. The Shaikh Abu '1-Fada'il, the Nestorian, known as the physician of the tribe of c Al- Azamiyah, in the caliphate of Al-Amir, restored it at his own it in an excellent with hewn stone and expense, and renewed style, ; there were here many Nestorian monks. But when Al-Amir was informed of this restoration, he issued a decree against Abu 'l-Fada'il, seized all his and acted extortionately towards him, and money ; and the decree remained in force until the caliph had built a mosque within the monastery. The originator of this act of tyranny was Abu '1-Fadl Jafar ibn 'Abd al-Mun'im, known as Ibn Abu Kirat, the metwalli of the Diwan al-Khass 1 of Al-Amir. There was some land

attached to this monastery and belonging to it, outside the enclosure, and this land was farmed by Abu '1-Barakat ibn Kitamah, the Jacobite scribe. There was now -no one in the monastery, which was empty, Fol. 43 a and deprived of liturgies and prayers. One of the stewards of Kitamah in a the of his master but lived there, garden which was property ; the priest Yusuf, the Nestorian, gained possession of it, and let the land to Muslims, and sold the upper story of the church at Misr, including the bakehouse, and let most of the property with which the Nestorian churches were endowed at low rents to the Muslims, for long with him but live in the periods. There are no Nestorians ; they east, and in Persia, and in Al-Trak and Al-Mausil, and by the Euphrates, and in and in are few in number and of Mesopotamia ; Egypt they a low class.

This monastery [of which we have been speaking] came into the possession of the Copts of Misr in the patriarchate of Anba Mark ibn Zar ah, the seventy-third in the order of succession, who made it

1 The board which regulated matters connected with the privy purse. MONASTERY OF THE NESTORIANS. 135

1 patriarchal, and dedicated the church in it to Saint Philotheus of Antioch. In the upper story of the monastery there are manzarahs ; and the whole building is of hewn stone, within and without. The church was solemnly opened and the liturgy was said in it the first week of the blessed fast, namely on Tuesday, the 16th of Amshir, of the year 899 of the Righteous Martyrs, which is equivalent to the 24th of

of D. 1 18 j of took Ramadan the year 576 (a. ). [This change ownership place] because no Nestorians were left in Misr except one or two men. The monastery was solemnly opened by Anba. Peter, bishop of the

Fayyum. It contains three altars : one named after Philotheus of Fol. 43 b Antioch the second after the the third after Thomas ; John Evangelist ; the Disciple. Its expenses were paid by the Shaikh Abu '1-Mansur ibn Bulus, who also paid for the liturgies and the eucharistic elements and the rest, and did not cease to supply all that was needed until the day of his death. His son continued to provide for [the expenses of this monastery], as his father had done may God rest his soul! and appointed ministers, both priests and deacons. The monastery is now prosperous, and the people of Upper Egypt come to it, and open its door. There is also a burying-place for the Coptic Jacobite Christians and the of in the district of Al-Habash and the of bishops Misr, ; body Anba 2 Zacharias the is buried the , sixty-fourth patriarch, there, and people receive from it it was taken because he com- blessings ; [and there] manded at his death that he should be buried among the people of Misr, on account of his knowledge of the pre-eminence of their faith, 3 and what they had suffered in the caliphate of Al-Hakim . In [the same burying-ground] also are the tombs of the bishops of Misr; and near

1 The festival of this martyr is kept on Tubah 16= Jan. n. He was converted to Christianity in his youth, and martyred in the persecution of Diocletian. See Synaxarium ad diem. 2 the see from a. d. 1002 to Occupied (?) 1032; see Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 386-408. On p. 401 Renaudot refers to this passage of Abu Salih. 3 See ii. Al-Makrizr, Khitat, p. no, and Renaudot, Hist. Patr. p. 390 ff., for an account of Al- Hakim's terrible persecution of the Christians, and the plunder destruction of their and churches. (A. J. B.) 136 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

it there are two wells of running water : one constructed by Abu '1- Hasan Sa'id ibn Mansur, the scribe, and the second made by Nasir, the grave- digger. In this burying-ground there is a conspicuous monument of 1 syenite, sculptured with a cross of points . Near the burying-ground

is the Well of the Steps, with the sycamore beside it, and the guard- house. At the upper end of this ground, there is a cemetery of the Jews Fol. 44 a and Samaritans, and when they come near the Christian cemetery they see the sign of the cross, and then they return to that part of the ground 2 sold to at which Anba Michael, the fifty-sixth patriarch , the Jews, the time when Ahmad ibn Tulun extorted money from him. This patriarch also sold a church to the Jews 3 in the Kasr ash-Shama', besides the property of the churches at Alexandria, and the herds of camels of the monks of the monastery of Saint Macarius. The Melkites, however, have no cemetery in the district of Al-Habash, but their burying-places are within their churches, and on the hill where the monastery of Al-Kusair stands. The Armenians and the Nestorians likewise [bury] in their churches.

Church of Al-Martiiti.

The called 4 or was garden Al-'Adawiyah , Munyat as-Sudan-,

1 The 'cross of points' is doubtless the Coptic cross, such as that represented

on the cover of my Coptic Churches. (A. J. B.) 2 Occupied the see from a. d. 881 to 899(F); see Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 319-398. He was the second of the name. 3 The church, sold by Michael or Khail to the Jews in a.d. 882, still belongs to that community, and is used as a synagogue, after a possession of 1,000 years.

An account of it is given in Coptic Churches, i. p. 169, and its position shown on

the plan facing p. 155. (A. J. B.) 4 Al-'Adawiyah and its monastery stand about eighteen miles to the south of Old Cairo, on the same bank of the river. The church of Al-Martuti, however, is not now in existence, possibly because the confiscation recorded by Abu Salih was permanent. Yakut calls Al-'Adawiyah a village on the eastern bank, and he other derivations of the see possessing many gardens ; suggests name ;

iv. his Geogr. Wort. p. in* . (A. J. B.) 5 Two villages of this name are now in existence, but neither of them is near CHURCH OF AL-MARTUTI. 137

named after a woman called 'Adawiyah, who came from Western Africa in the days of Al-Mu'izz. She had much money, and she took up her abode in this place, which was named after her. The church of the Pure Lady Mary, called Al-Martuti, is surmounted by a cupola. In ancient days this was a place of worship of the Israelites when were in in and when our they bondage Egypt ; Lord Jesus Christ came down into Egypt from Syria, with his mother in the flesh, our Lady the Pure Virgin, and the righteous old man Joseph the carpenter, they sat in this place, where there is now a picture of the Lady before the holy altar. The church was founded by the Copts Fol. 44 b under the name of the Lady, and was called Al-Martuti, which is the Greek word Matir-td 1 and means ' Mother of God the Word.' When , this church grew old it fell into decay, and was restored by the Shaikh 2 of Abu '1-Yaman Wazir, a native of Sanhur , and metwalli the Divan of the Delta, and by Abu '1-Mansur,his son, in the caliphate of Al-Amir, and in the vizierate of Al-Afdal Shahanshah. In its upper story Abu '1-Yaman built a beautiful mansarah, called As-Salukiyah, and the priests assembled and conversed this in the there, he gaily with them ; was lunar d. in the of 3 and the of year 478 (a. 1086), patriarchate Cyril , episcopate Daniel. He also caused a complete set of vessels of goldsmiths' work to be made for this church, for the liturgy and the incense and all the needs of the church. In the upper story of the church he built several depen-

see Rec. de 222. Cf. Al-'Adawiyah ; Vfigyple, p. Yakut, Mushtarik, p. p.q. Al-Idrisi, however, mentions the place named by our author, saying, according ' to Jaubert's translation : Quand on part de Missr pour se rendre en remontant le Nil dans l'Egypte superieure, on va de Fostat a Miniet es-Soudan, joli port situ6

la rive occidentale Nil a. sur (sic!) du et environ 15 milles de Missr.' (Tome i. P-3H-) 1 Mrjrrjp Qeov. 2 A town between Alexandria and Damietta, now included in the district of in the of See Wort. iii. 1 v . Dasuk, province Al-Gharbiyah. Yakut, Geogr. p. ; Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 415-417. 8 The sixty-seventh patriarch; occupied the see from a. d. 1078 to 1092; see Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 449-470.

t [II. 7.] 138 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

dences and offices. A small garden was attached to the church, and the interior of the and the door was entered from building ; gave proof of its existence. So the government laid its hand upon this garden, and it was taken away from the church. A certain Jew, named Abu '1-Fakhr ibn Azhar as-Sanf, became a Christian, and was converted to the religion of the Messiah, and was baptized in this church by Anba John, bishop of Tamwaih, in the province of Al-Jiziyah, assisted by the priest Abu Yasir ibn Abu Sa'd Fol. 45 a ibn al-Kustal, in the caliphate of Al-Fa'iz, in the vizierate of TalaT ibn Ruzzik, and in the patriarchate of Jonas, the seventy-second in the succession this took in the month of in the ; place Rajab, year

554 (a. D. 1 159). God enlightened this Jew so greatly that he learnt to read and translated it into Arabic and he was ordained Coptic, ; deacon, on account of his peculiar merits, in the church of the Pure 1 in the Harah in the of Anba Lady , Zawilah, city Cairo, by Gabriel, bishop of Misr, on the 15th of Abib, in the year of the church 901 (A. D. 1 1 85). Adjacent to this church of Al-Martuti, is a church which had fallen into decay, but was restored by Abu '1-Fada il ibn Ash-Shubramuray- 2 with the assistance of a of in the of the yiki , body Christians, year 902

Righteous Martyrs (a. d. i i 86). The furnishing of the church was completed by the Shaikh Abu '1-Faraj ibn Zanbur, the scribe of As-Subasi the wall of Cairo he the and Turk, ; paid expenses himself, he provided for it a dome and a roof, and constructed over the dome a beautiful dome of timber and he built in it two one named ; altars, after Saint George, and the other after the angel Michael. In the midst of the church he erected a long vaulted transept, in which he also opened a door which led to the altars in the old church and he ; separated them from one another. The number of altars in this church amounted to

Fol. 45 b five, ancient and modern. Abu '1-Faraj completed the restoration of the

church by whitewashing and painting it, and it was solemnly opened

1 See fol. 3 a and note. 2 The town of Shubra Murayyik (j^6 Ui), in the province of Al-Gharbiyah, is mentioned by Yakfit, Mushtarik, p. rrv. CHURCH OF AL-MARTUTl. 139

on Monday, the 21st of Barmahat, the second day of the fifth week of the holy fast, in the presence of Anba Mark ibn Zar'ah, the seventy- third patriarch, and Michael, bishop of Bastah and Al-Khandak, and Anba of and Anba of Al-Bahnasa 1 Gabriel, bishop Misr, Simon, bishop , and Anba Peter, bishop of the Fayyum, and an assembly of the clergy and of the chief men. In the upper story of this church, the steward, Sayyid al-Ahl, son of Thomas, the archdeacon, built a church in the name of Saint Mercurius, 2 with a wooden altar and it was consecrated the , by Anba John, seventy- 3 fourth patriarch, on the 10th of Bashans, in the year 910 of the

Righteous Martyrs (a. D. 11 94). The Shaikh Abu '1-Yaman Wazir removed the body of Saint John from the church at Damanhur, near Cairo, to this church, because, so it is said, when he was in the neighbourhood of it on a certain night, he heard a voice from the shrine of

' the : I cannot remain in the church of the there martyr, saying Lady ; is no church for me except that in which I was at first.' Accordingly the body was restored thither. Fol. 48 a In this neighbourhood, the Nestorians had a large monastery like a great castle, within an enclosing wall of hewn stone, and containing, a large church, separate and conspicuous, of which all the architectural features remain to this but the has been turned into a day ; apse Kiblah, and above it rises a lofty minaret, and, around it, the chambers, which to the are inhabited Muslims and this belonged monks, by ; change took place in the caliphate of Al-Hakim.

1 The classical and the then the Oxyrhinchus, Coptic HeJULXG ; capital of a province. It stands on the western bank, at some distance from the stream. It was said that our Lord and his mother sojourned at Al-Bahnasa. The town is now ruined and contains about inhabitants it is in the district of sixty ; Bani

in the of Wort. i. 1 Mazar, province Minyah. See Yakut, Geogr. p. w ; Al-Makrizi,

i. rrv Ktiitat, p. ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 90. 2 This is the only definite instance known to me of a Coptic altar constructed of wood; see Coptic Churches, ii. p. 3 ff. (A. J. B.) 3 Occupied the see from a. d. 1189 to 12 16; see Renaudot, Hist. Pair. PP- 554-567- t 2 140 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

At the church of Al-Martiiti, the history of which has been related, there was a priest named Abu Yasir, son of the priest Abu Sa'd, known as Ibn al-Kustal, who maintained customs at variance with those pre-

scribed by the pure Fathers : such as growing the hair long, and baring of 1 and infants the head at the time the liturgy , christening without circumcision 2 and to the to see the , giving permission bridegroom 3 bride before marriage . If a priest with shaven hair and covered head said the liturgy, he would not communicate from his hand, but he had a second liturgy for himself. Thus he divided the church into two he was often rebuked for he would not parties ; and, although this, repent or change his opinions. The state of affairs required that in he should be from order to maintain the canons, expelled the church ; may God reconcile him to himself! To the church of this priest there was a garden attached, as it has Fol. 46 b already been related. This garden was seized by the emir Jabril, son of the Imam Al-Hafiz, who built opposite to the church, near the river, in the place called Al-KJiaimat al-kibliyah, for the survey of the taxes, a manzarah, which was visited by the Imam Al-Hafiz and the Imam 4 his the lifetime of this emir after his Az-Zafir , son, during Jabril; and death the Imam Al-'Adid came here. Each of them contributed to the support of this church, and received the food that was brought to him from the monastery. This church stands in the midst of the gardens, and from its upper story a view of the blessed Nile is obtained, as far as that part of the river bank on which Tamwaih, in the province of Al-Jiziyah, 5 is situated, and as far as Munyat ash-Shammas and other places on

1 These two customs of wearing long hair and uncovering during the liturgy

seem to refer to the priests only : neither of them is now practised. See above, a. fol. 9 b and 15 (A. J. B.) 2 I have before stated that circumcision on the eighth day is customary, but not with the while circumcision after was obligatory, Copts ; baptism always regarded

as forbidden. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 286, 497, 588. (A. J. B.) 3 In prohibiting this the Copts seem to have followed the Muslims. 4 The twelfth of the Fatimide caliphs, who succeeded his father Al-Hafiz in a. h. 544 = a. n. 1 149 and died in a. h. 549 = a. d. 1154. 5 There were two places of this name in the province of Al-Jiziyah, but this TURA. 141 the western bank. It is a of devotion and of place pleasure ; and the church is much visited because intercessions are accepted here, and visible miracles are performed for the faithful. al-Islam 1 brother of Al-Ajall Saif Tughtikin , Al-Malik Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, the Kurd, acquired possession of the garden, and of Al-'Adawiyah, and the church of As-Stidan, and the bank of near it rebuilt the the river ; and he manzarah, and added a gallery to the upper part of it, and he planted many trees in the garden and spent much money here. At Al-'Adawiyah are the quarries of yellow clay, of which the are made and are to the [pots called] kJiazaf ; they north, on the estate of the vizier Abu '1-Faraj al-Maghrabi.

Tar a.

The district known as Tura 2 which leads to Itfih 3 of , , by way 4 the monastery of Shahran . Under the southern sycamore, in the Fol. 47 a southern part of Tura, Moses the prophet prayed upon him be peace, 5 and in the town there are monuments of 'Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan . Tura was allotted as a fief to the Ghuzz and the Kurds, when they conquered Egypt. Itfih is the name of one of the sons of Mizraim. Shahran is a large village, and was flourishing and populous. It is

is that one which was also called Dair ash-Shama' see fol. b. It is probably ; 65 still existing in the district of Badrashain in that province, and in 1885 had a of See Mushtarik De population 883. Yakut, , p. F.v; Sacy, Abd-Allatif,

Rec. de ii. 221. p. 676 ; I'figypte, p. 1 after a.h. died a.h> Ruler of Yemen 577 ; 593. 2 To the south of 'Adawiyah and to the north of Hulwan, on the eastern bank. It is now in the district of Badrashain, and in the province of Al-Jiziyah,

and in 1885 had 1,335 inhabitants. See Yakut, Geogr. Diet. iii. p. oi.; Al-

ii. . 1 Makrizi, Khitat, p. ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 519. (A. J. B.) 3 See fol. 2 b, and note. 4 The site of Shahran cannot be identified. (A. J. B.) 5 Son of the caliph Marwan I, and wall of Egypt from a.h. 65 = a. d. 685 to a.h. 86 = a.d. 706. He attempted to make Hulwan the capital of Egypt; see below. 142 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

the of the river and that Moses the built on side ; they say prophet 1 upon him be peace was born there, and his mother cast him thence into the river, in the wooden ark. Shahran is celebrated as a spot frequented by visitors, on account of the beauty of its situation, and the views obtained from it of Misr and the river Nile; so the Book of the Monasteries, by Ash-Shabushti, testifies. Opposite this monastery 2 there is a of Shahran, in the mountain on the east, large cavern , in supported by pillars like a house, which has been hollowed out the side is extensive and it is said to be of the mountain, and exceedingly ;

' called the city,' and the end of it is unknown.

Monastery of Shahran, near Turd.

The monastery called Shahran was restored by Poemen, the monk, who had been perverted to the religion of the Muslims, but returned to his own faith in the caliphate of Al-Imam al-Hakim, and became once more abbot of the monastery. This monk was the cause of the opening Fol. 47 b of the churches which had been closed, and of the changing of the 3 costume which Al-Hakim had injoined, and which he had maintained for nine years, during which Zacharias, the sixty-fourth patriarch, was 4 and thrown to the which did him no harm for God imprisoned , lions, ; forbad the lions to touch the patriarch, on account of his holiness, and the strength of his faith in God. The instigator of this persecution was Macarius 5 named 6 because of Saint , a monk from the monastery , Jonas

1 of On fol. 19 b, Askar is said to be the birthplace Moses. 2 Doubtless one of the subterranean quarries in the Mukattam range near Tura. These caverns were cut out by ancient Egyptian workmen quarrying for horror stone for the pyramids and other buildings. The Arabs have a great of mining in the dark, and tell marvellous legends of these openings into the

heart of the mountain. (A. J. B.) 3 Al-Hakim had forced the Christians to wear black clothes and turbans, and

to use black trappings for their mules and asses, forbidding them to ride on

horseback. (A. J. B.) 4 5 Nitrian desert. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 391 ff. In the 6 Or John. See the story in Renaudot, Hist. Pair. p. 388 f. MONA STERY A ND CHURCH AT TURA . 1 43 he had solicited a bishopric from that patriarch, but was prevented from obtaining it by Michael, the patriarch's nephew, who had demanded from did not receive the whole of this is money Jonas, [but it] ; story told in the Lives of the Patriarchs. In the aforesaid monastery there is a tower, entered through the monastery, and it had a garden attached to it, measuring six feddans, in which were fruit-bearing palms and corn-plots. Al-Imam al-Hakim was fond of visiting the country at this monastery, and of taking the air here and from it he went out to the and made into ; mountain, journeys the country.

Monastery and Church at Turd.

. The monastery known as the Monastery of the Potter is dedicated to Saint Mercurius. It is said also to have been named after the martyr Theodore. There is also a church, named after the glorious Saint George, which is in the district of Tura, on the bank of the river. This church was small when it to the but belonged Jacobite Copts ; 1 at the time when Gregory , the patriarch of the Armenians, came to Egypt, and Amir al-Juyush Badr was surrounded by Armenians, in the patriarchate of Anba. Cyril, patriarch of the Jacobites, and the district of Fol. 48 a Tura was allotted to the Armenians, then they seized this church, and pulled it down, and built instead of it a large and spacious church, with several cupolas, which was dedicated to the name of Saint George. Above it there rose a the door of which was within the church tower, ; and the latter was enclosed within a wall, and within the enclosure there was a well and a water-wheel. Around the church there was a space planted with orange-trees, and two duwairahs, which are fruit- bearing palms, and other trees. When, however, the series of misfortunes befell the Armenians, the church came back to the Jacobites, in the patriarchate of Anba. Mark, known before his promotion as Abu ibn the scribe he was the in '1-Faraj Zar'ah, ; seventy-third the succes-

1 See note on p. 3. This passage is referred to by Renaudot {Hist. Pair, pp. 459 and 508), who writes Dora for Tura. 144 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT,

sion. In this church the priest named Abu Yasir, whose history has been related with reference to the church of Al-Martutt, which is called restored all that was for the of it Al-'Adawiyah, required furnishing ;

and the people began again to frequent it at all times. Outside it, there are stone foundations visible on the surface of the ground, which are said to have been made for the purpose of building upon them a manzarah ; but it was never fully prepared, and now there is only one fragment of building in a cracked condition. When the patriarch

came to this church to consecrate it, an assembly of bishops and priests and of the Christian laity were present. In another copy it is said that the monastery of Saint George came into the possession of the aforesaid priest Abu Yasir, known as Ibn Fol. 48 b al-Kustal, and was solemnly opened in the month of Ba'iinah, in the

- - II year 559 (A D ^4)> m the patriarchate of Anba John, with the consent of the Armenians. Abu Yasir built in the upper story a church to the martyr Saint Mennas, and a church in the name of the great saint John the Baptist and of Gregory. The latter church was to the south of the great central sanctuary, in the monastery of the Armenians at Tura, and it was consecrated on the 30th of Ba'unah. in the year 902

of the d. i 1 and the of the Righteous Martyrs (a. 86) ; expenses building were paid at first by Ibn Mashkur, and at the time of its consecration by Abu Mansur, the superintendent of the building of the walls of Cairo and Misr. In the same monastery there is a tower, and a mill, and which to the when it ceased to a garden belonged Armenians ; and, belong to them, it came into the possession of the Jacobites, after the year 600 (a. d. 1204). When the priest Abu Yasir died, the monastery became the property of his disciples, and of the Copts, permanently down to our own time.

The Eastern and Western Ranges.

The eastern hills known as Al-Mukattam, which was the name of the son of Mizraim, the son of Misr, the son of Ham, the son of Noah. Mukattam was the first who worshipped on this spot, and here he gave himself to the service of so after his the up God ; that time mountain MELKITE MONASTERY OF AL-KUSAIR. 145

was known as Al-Mukattam. It is situated near Tura, by the stone- quarry, and is contiguous to Tura. lengthwise, and it is a holy place. The western range unites itself to the mountain chain of Western Fol. 49 a Africa and to the western shores, which at last reach the land of Ibn * 2 Ghawatah, and the Dark Sea . The river Nile flows between these two mountain-ranges.

Melkite Monastery of Al-Kusair.

The monastery known as Al-Kusair is on the summit of the eastern mountain-range. From this monastery there is a view of the blessed and of the district of Tura. It was founded Arcadius 3 the Nile, by , Great, son of Theodosius the Great, emperor of the Romans, over the tomb of his teacher, Saint Arsenius, after whose name he called it. This Arsenius had fled from the emperor, and devoted himself to in the desert of Saint Macarius in the religious worship Wadi Habib ; but afterwards he removed to this mountain, and spent his time in 4 worship there. This monastery was known as Kusair . A great festival

1 mistake for which was a district in north-western A Baraghwatah (jiUlys^),

inhabited a tribe of the name see i. 1 Africa, by same ; Yakut, Geogr. Wort. p. f ; Al-Idrisi vi. r.v (ed. Rome) [p. 87]; Ibn Khaldun, p. 2 The Atlantic. 3 Arcadius can hardly have founded this monastery in memory of his teacher, is said to have outlived him some at least see who by forty years ; Gibbon (Edinburgh, 1832), vol. v. p. 148 n. The association of Arsenius with the monastery is, however, probably authentic. The fulj name of the convent, according to Al-Makrizi, was monastery of John the Dwarf (Yuhannus al-Kasir or Al-

St. ii. . Kusayyir), i.e. John Kolobos; see Khitat, p. 0.1 (A. J. B.) 4 Our author probably borrows this account of the foundation of Al-Kusair from Eutychius, with whose narrative the statements in the text agree; see his

Annates (ed. Pococke), i. p. 537. Quatremere gives an article on this monastery in Mem. ii. pp. 499-502, which consists of translations from Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. . r where Ash-Shabushti is as our author. Yakut also describes p. , quoted, by the monastery of Al-Kusair among the few monasteries which he writes of; see his Geogr. Wort. ii. p. iao.

u [II. 7.] 146 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

is kept there in honour of Arsenius, at which many people assemble. Below his church on the mountain-top, there is another church, hewn 1 out in the rock with the in it there is altar. pickaxe , and an The monastery is on the upper part of the mountain and stands on a terrace, on a peak of the mountain, and is fairly constructed and commands a beautiful view. It has a well hewn in the rock, from which water is drawn. In the monastery there are excellent pictures, of extremely skilful and admirable execution. The monastery contains an upper room [built Khamarawaih 2 son of ibn by] Abu '1-Jaish , Ahmad Tulun, which has Fol. 49 b four windows in its four sides. The road to this monastery from Misr is difficult, but on the southern side the ascent and descent are easy. At the side of it there is a hermitage, always inhabited by a hermit. The monastery overlooks the village named Shahran and the desert and the monastery of Shahran, which is a large and flourishing village, on the bank of the river, according to the testimony of the Book of the Monasteries, by Ash-Shabushti. This Al-Kusair is one of the monasteries that are visited for worship, and also for the pleasure of sauntering around them. 3 The patriarch Eustathius founded in this monastery the church of

1 This would be the church of St. John the Baptist named below on fol. 51a. 2 Khamarawaih, son of Ahmad ibn Tulun, and second of the Tiilunide dynasty, ruled Egypt and Syria, nominally under the suzerainty of the Abbaside caliphs, for twelve years, from a. h. 27o=a.d. 884 to a. h. 282 = a. d. 895. The annual tribute demanded from him by the caliph amounted to about 500,000 dinars. He was famous for his magnificence and his love of art. The story which our author tells of his admiration for the mosaics at the monastery of

Al-Kusair is told also by Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. 100. 3 Eustathius succeeded Balatianus, as Melkite or orthodox patriarch of Alexandria, in the sixteenth year of the caliph Harun Ar-Rashid, i. e. a. d. 802, and

occupied the see for two years. See Eutychius {Annates, ii. p. 410), who is the authority from whom the statements in the text are taken. Eutychius

explains ,3x0 as :

Cf. Le Quien, Or/ens Christ. MELKITE MONASTERY OF AL-KUSAIR. 147 the Apostles, and he founded a cell for the bishops. The monastery- is in the possession of the Melkites, and contains a body of their monks. There is kept every year the festival of Saint Arsenius, on 1 the 13th of Bashans . This Eustathius was a linen-merchant, and he found a treasure in the where the flax beaten and place was ; then he became a monk in this monastery, and built in it that which has been mentioned. After that, he was made patriarch of the Melkites, 2 and the length of his patriarchate was sixty-four years . In this monastery there are eight churches, and they are enclosed within a wall. In it also there is a and a and below mansarah, cemetery ; it there are many caves hewn in the mountain. The church of the Apostles in this monastery was destroyed in the caliphate of Al-Hakim, in the month of Sha'ban, of the year 400 (a. D. 1010); and a band of the common people came here, and seized the coffins of the dead, and the timbers from the ruins. Afterwards it was decreed that [the monks] should restore the ruined building, and Al-Yasal, the brother Fol. 50 a of Taj ad-Daulah Bahram, assigned to the monastery sixteen feddans of land as an endowment. There was in this monastery a mule, to carry the water from the and it to the and one of the monks river, bring up monastery ; went down with it to fill the and the up quantity required ; monk remained by the river, while the mule kept going backwards and forwards by itself, until he had finished his business. The monastery is enclosed within a stone wall but on one occasion a mob of Muslims ; went up, and by a ruse induced the monks to open the gate to them, whereupon they entered and sacked the monastery, and killed some of the monks. The monastery known as Al-Kusair al-Hakkani is within the desert, and is uninhabited it is from the ; half-a-day's journey monastery which is being described. The number of churches at the monastery of Al-Kusair, accord-

1 I.e. May 8. Cf. Synaxarium (Paris MS. Arabe 256) for that day. 2 This must be a confusion with the length of Eustathius' life. u 2 148 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

ing to a description, of the date of Barmahat, in the year 891 of the Blameless Martyrs (a.D. 1175), was ten. (1) In the upper part is the church of Saint Arsenius, the teacher of the sons of the and his is buried under the which emperors ; body altar, 1 is the altar and is a the of only , surmounted by baldakyn; over middle 2 this church is a long vaulted roof. Fol. 60 b (2) A church named after our Lady Mary, the pure and holy Virgin, in which there is one altar, as in the former.

(3) The church of the Apostles or Disciples, in which there was a picture of the Lady, carrying the Lord, with angels on the right and on the left, and pictures of all the twelve disciples, the whole being of tesserae of 3 as at composed glass , and skilfully executed, Bethlehem ;

1 is : This exceedingly interesting for two reasons (i) It is unusual for a church to have less than three altars now, though Abu Salih proceeds to enumerate several with this and I do not other so distinct and peculiarity ; (ii) know any unquestion- able evidence of the practice of burying the body of a saint under the high altar of an Egyptian church, though ten or twelve years ago, writing on the subject of the Coptic altar in ignorance of Abu Salih's testimony, I had no hesitation in inferring

that the existed. ii. practice See Coptic Churches, pp. 12-16. (A. J. B.) 2 In technical language this means, I think, that the nave was roofed with wagon-vaulting, such as may still be seen in the basilica in the Harah Zuwailah in Cairo, in the church of Al-Mu'allakah within the fortress, and in many

others. (A. J. B.) 3 This is, as far as I know, with the subsequent statements of our author, the only direct evidence of the use of the Byzantine glass mosaic in the churches of Egypt, and it is fortunate that Abu Salih's testimony is of unmistakable clearness. The arrangement which he sketches is common enough, indeed is almost

exactly reproduced in the haikal of Abu 's-Saifain {Coptic Churches, i. p. 112, see

also p. 40). But there the design is painted on the wall, not wrought in mosaic :

I have id. is and as explained (id. p. 37 seq.), there no known instance of a picture in glass mosaic remaining in the Coptic churches, or anything to show that this form of art ever flourished in Egypt, though mosaic of another kind constitutes

some of the most splendid decoration in churches and mosques alike. There is, however, some evidence from early writers to support the construction of the text. MELKITE MONASTERY OF AL-KUSAIR. 149 and some of these glass tesserae were gilded and some were coloured. Khamarawaih, son of Ahmad ibn Tulun, used to stand before these

The allusion to Bethlehem is, of course, to the church of the Nativity erected there in a. d. 327 by the empress Helena, and it is possible that even at that date glass mosaics were employed for decoration : for those in the church of S. Pudenziana at Rome and S. Costanza at Naples are said to date from the fourth century. However that may be, there is no doubt that by the time of Justinian the walls of the church at Bethlehem were covered with mosaics, traces of which remain even at the present day in spite of renewals and destructions. Eutychius records the visit of the caliph 'Umar to this church, his admiration for the mosaics in the southern for the whole vault was decorated with transept (' in work and his order that no should be many-coloured designs mosaic '), change made in the decoration (ed. Pococke, ii. pp. 158, 288). But the best account of these mosaics is given by De Vogue in his Eglises de la Terre Sainte, p. 66 ff.

The word rendered tesserae in the text is the of But ,joye3, plural ^ /ass. Eutychius, in the passage just quoted, uses the word Li~~i ftisaifisd as the term for glass mosaics a term derived from the Byzantine yjrrjQaxns. Now the author of the Damascus of or coloured and which History of speaks ^j>yas tesserae, gilt, are known zsfusaifisd ; and similarly Kamal ad-Din feftn.esfusaifisd as equivalent or to ^Jk'xc ^aj) gilded tesserae. Further, Ibn Batutah mentions a mosque adorned with pictures of great beauty in gilt mosaic, and again of animal figures in mosaic. These authorities are quoted by Quatremere, Hist, des Sultans

Mamlouks, ii. Liv. i. append, p. 270 n. But the point which Quatremere misses is that if these passages are examined, they are found all to establish the use of glass mosaics, but out of Egypt in Syria and Arabia. I do not, however, know of any passage proving the use of Byzantine mosaic in Egypt to put beside this clear and explicit evidence of Abu Salih, here and on fol. 104 a. The splendid lamps of the type called Kala'uni, found till recently in churches and mosques, but now chiefly in museums, show what skill in glass-work the Egyptians possessed in mediaeval times a skill far higher than would be needed for making the cubes of mosaic work. Going further back, we find record of famous glass- works at Fustat. Further back still, Olympiodorus of Alexandria wrote on the sacred art of alchemy, which included the making of glass coloured like precious stones. This was early in the third century, and the MS. is in the Bibliothequc 150 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

pictures and admire the beauty of their execution, and was much with with the of the so that delighted them, especially picture Lady ; he even built a manzarah for himself at this monastery, that he might for recreation. This church was but Al-Hakim come there very large ; destroyed it in the year 400 (a.d. ioio). Afterwards there was built on the same site a new church, named after Peter and Paul, in which there was one altar surmounted by a baldakyn, and over the middle of which there was a vaulted roof. chief first of the (4) The church of Stephen, the of the deacons and martyrs for the name of Christ among the Israelites. (5) A church named after Saint George. 1 (6) The church of Saint Sabas of Alexandria, which was restored by the Shaikh Abu '1-Barakat Yuhanna, the scribe, son of Abu '1-Laith, in vizierate of Al-Afdal Shahanshah in the caliphate of Al-Amir, and the ; Fol. 51 a and his brother, Abu '1-Fada'il, was charged with the control of the out- '1-Barakat the metwalli of the at-ta/ikik 2 in lay. This Abu was Diwan ,

Nationals. See Hendrie's Theophilus or Arts of the Middle Ages, 1847, p. 163. The same most interesting work has a long account of glass-making and painting

in Book II, and Greek enamelling and mosaic are described ib. ch. xiii-xv. pp. 133-135. Strabo was told by the glass-workers of Alexandria that they were enabled to execute their magnificent works of art solely through the existence in Egypt of a peculiar earth (Book XVI, ch. ii. 25, quoted by Perrot

ii. manufacture of & Chipiez, Hist, of Art in Egypt, p. 375). Indeed the glass is now supposed to have had its origin in Egypt, and the art of enamelling which flourished under the caliphs certainly began with the Pharaohs. (A. J. B.) 1 the This 'Melkite' saint is, of course, not also revered by monophysite Copts, since he was the great opponent of the monophysite leader, Severus of Antioch, and the determined adherent of the Roman see. 2 This was the board which regulated the expenses of the government. The metwalli of this Divan was a person of high rank. In a. h. 501 a sum of 700,000 dinars is said to have passed through the hands of this Divan, apart from the the expenses of the officials, and Abu '1-Barakat ibn Abi '1-Laith arranged dinars in boxes on one side of the room and the dirhams on the other side.

When the vizier Al-Afdal saw this large sum of money, he said to Abu '1-Barakat : ' By my father's tomb, if I hear of any well out of order, or of any land lying MELKITE MONASTERY OF AL-KUSAIR. 151 the vizierate of Al-Afdal, and afterwards, until he was put to death in the year 528 (a. D. 1134). In this church there is one altar, surmounted by a small over the midst of the church there is baldakyn ; and one large cupola of conspicuous size. The church contains pictures of the forty of Sebaste and beneath it is the of the said '1-Fada'il. martyrs ; tomb Abu

(7) The church of the martyr Barbara, which is small. (8) [The church of] Saint Thomas. (9) The church of Cosmas and Damian and their brothers and their mother, who were all martyred for the name of Christ. (10) Below this is the church of Saint John, the Baptist and Fore- in runner, a cave, and with a stone roof, supported on a pillar, like a house which is concealed. In the midst of it, and on the roof, are ecclesiastical paintings, most of which have been effaced. Near this church is the tomb of John the monk, who planned the walls of 1 Cairo and its in the of in the gates , caliphate Al-Mustansir, and

' uncultivated, or of any village in ruins, I will cut off thy head ! to which the

' metwalli answered : Far be it from thee that in thy days any village should be ruined, or land left uncultivated, or well allowed to fallout of repair !' Al-Makrizi confirms the statement of our author that Abu '1-Barakat was put to death in

i. . a. h. 528. See Khitat, p. F. 1 1 This piece of information is very interesting, and is one more proof that the Copts were the architects of Cairo, as I have always contended, and not the Moslems.

What Abu Salih says is that John the monk planned the new walls of Cairo in the vizierate of Badr, under the caliphate of Al-Mustansir. The original walls, of brick, were built by Jauhar, under the caliph Al-Mu'izz in a. d. 969 or 970 (see

i. but a later these Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. rw ff.) ; century walls, being outgrown, were demolished by Badr al-Jamali, in a. d. 1087, who extended the boundaries of the city, especially on the northern and southern sides, erecting new walls of brick, with gateways of stone (see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. rvi). In his learned essay on the topography of Cairo, M. Ravaisse gives a very clear plan, showing the walls of Jauhar and those of Badr. Saladin subsequently extended the citadel and made other enlargements, but in the main the existing walls are more probably those of Badr than those of Saladin. See M. Ravaisse in Mem. Archeol. de la

Miss. au 188 2 Frang. Caire, 1-4 ; esp. plate facing p. 454. (A. J. B.) OF EGYPT. i 5 2 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES

Badr over his tomb there is a marble slab vizierate of Amir al-Juyush ; 1 in the wall . 2 which has been mentioned The church of Saint George , already among these numerous churches, is outside, on the peak of the moun- brother of Abu tain, and it was founded by the Shaikh Abu '1-Hakam, Fol. 51 b "1-Khasib, and relative of Abu '1-Barakat ibn Abu '1-Laith. On this mountain there are many caves, hewn in the rock, which also is the cave of Saint which was forms their roof ; one of them Arsenius, made for him, and it contains the stone which he used as a pillow. Within the monastery there is a cistern, which receives water from the mountain at the time of rain. There is also a well of springing water, hewn in the rock, of which the monks and their visitors drink. There is a mill hewn in the rock. The churches are likewise founded in the rock. Near the church of Saint Sabas, restored by Abu '1-Barakat, there is a manzarah which was made for Al-Amir, who came here in season and there is a for his attendants. There the hunting ; place is here the manzarah of Khamarawaih, son of Ahmad ibn Tulun, in the on the eastern side it has now fallen into upper story of the monastery ; decay. The monastery now, in our time, contained five monks in poor circumstances, until the end of Barmahat, in the year 891 of the After Fakhr ibn al-Kanbar 3 Righteous Martyrs (a.d. 1175). that, , the misleader of the ignorant through his false creed, came to live of his followers and he dwelt there there, with a body ; twenty years, 4 at of the White Week in until he died, on Monday, the beginning , of Amshir 5 in the the second week [of the Fast], on the 23rd , year D. is now Pol. 52 a 924 of the Righteous Martyrs (a. 1208). The monastery

1 This tomb was apparently in the cave in which the church was hewn. The slab over the tomb is worth notice, as the Copts never mark the burial-places of

the dead in any of the old churches. (A. J. B.) 2 3 No. 5 in the list of churches. See above, fol. 9 a ff. 4 I. e. the first week of Lent, during which the use of fish and other white meat

is allowed. (A. J. B.) 5 = The Coptic Mechir (JUUTXIp) Jan. 26 to Feb. 24. CHURCH OF THE CHA MBERLA INS AT AL -KA NTA RAH. 153

in the possession of his followers, who form a large body, but are in poor circumstances. It is said that in former times there were in the monastery and in the caves hewn in the mountain-sides nearly six thousand monks.

Hermes Trismegistus.

Kalkali 1 son of son of one of the sons of , Kharaba, Malik, Baisur, son of son of was wise it is said that Ham, Noah, exceedingly ; and 2 his teacher was the first inventor of and was Hermes , who alchemy, turned lead into gold, and hardened quicksilver into solid, white gold, and sand into 3 his at a called melted glass ; and glass-furnace was place ' the 4 at the of the outside Cairo. Oven ,' top eastern mountain,

Church of the Chamberlains at Al-Kantarah.

The church of the the Pure at Al-Kantarah 5 Lady Mary, Virgin, , commonly named the church of the Romans. It is also called the church of the Christian Chamberlains, because it was restored by

1 Al-Makrizi and As-Suyfiti write this name Kalkan (J&), and the father's name Khartaba or Khariba see i. ri Husn (U,i.) (W>) ; Khitat, p. ; al-Muhddarah, i. p. r . . 2 See below, fol. 64 b. 3 This legend is so far correct that the art of glass-making probably began in Egypt, and not, as it was stated by Pliny and those writers who have followed him, among the Phoenicians. See Perrot and Chipiez, Hist, of Art in Phoenicia and ii. Cyprus, p. 326; Hendrie's Theophilus, p* 162. (A. J. B.) 4 On the top of the Mukattam hills, to the east of Cairo. For the legends

related of the . spot, see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. Foo 5 This or suburb of been mentioned see fol. village, Al-Fustat, has already ; 23 b and 32 b. The reason for the foundation of this church at this spot is given by Eutychius, namely that when the caliph was residing at his palace called the ' of the Air' Dome on the Mukattam hills, his Greek (Roman) chamberlains found it too far to go to the Melkite churches in the Kasr ash-Shama or Fortress of Babylon, and so asked and obtained his permission to build a church at the nearer suburb of Al-Kantarah see ii. ; Eutychius, Annates (ed. Pococke), p. 430.

X [II. 7.] 154 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 the chamberlains of Al-Ma'mun 'Abd Allah, son of Harun ar-Rashid, ' 2 since it was near the Dome of the Air ,' which he founded on the Mukattam hills. The Christians wore black 3 and garments , rode on horses, until the caliphate of Al-Mutawakkil Ja'far, who forbad them to do so.

Hulwdn.

4 5 Hulwan . 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam. surnamed Abu

Fol. 52 b '1-Usbu', lived in this place, and Hulwan was the name of his eldest son. It was in this neighbourhood that Al-Imam al-Hakim bi-amri'llah alighted from the ass which he was riding, and ordered his groom, who him wherever he to the ass and he accompanied went, hough ; himself went alone into the inner of the desert and never returned nor parts ; is it known to this day where he retired. This happened in the month of Shawwal, in the year 411 (a.D. 1021).

1 The seventh of the Abbaside caliphs; reigned from a. d. 813 to 833. 2 The Kubbat al-Hawd was on the mountain near the citadel of Cairo ; see

en i. C. Niebuhr, Voyage Arabic, &c, p. 93. (A. J. B.) 3 Al-Mutawakkil reigned from a. d. 847 to 861. It would appear from Abu Salih's remark that the Christians voluntarily affected a black dress at this time, and that the ordinance of Al-Hakim two centuries later was an enforced

reversion to an old custom. (A. J. B.) 4 Hulwan or Halwan (Helouan), the Coptic ^^.XoTf^rt or g^X-S-A-rt, is on the right or eastern bank of the river, five or six miles to the south of Al-'Adawiyah, and is still a favourite health-resort of the Cairenes on account of its sulphureous springs. The place seems to have been in existence, and to have had a bishop,

before the Mahometan See Wort. ii. rr 1 conquest. Yakut, Geogr. p. ; Al-Makrizi,

i. r.i f. Khitat, p. ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 584. (A. J. B.) 5 See fol. 47 a. 6 Bar-Hebraeus states that Al-Hakim was assassinated at the instigation of his sister, and that this was the explanation of his disappearance. Al-Makrizi also

mentions this but denies its truth Ibn iv. 1 1 Ibn report (ii. p. tai). Khaldun, p. ;

ix. iii. ii. Ibn Khallikan al-Athir, p. rn ; Abu '1-Fida, p. 48 ; As-Suyuti, p. ia; and

relate the same story. HULWAN. 155

At Hulwan 'Abd al-'Aziz erected some handsome buildings, and set up a Nilometer. He was attacked by the disease called lion- sickness, or elephantiasis, and he took many medicines, but the medicines did him no good, and so the physicians, in treating him, selected 1 c [Hulwan as a residence for him]. This Abd al-'Aziz pulled down the Old Mosque at Misr, known as the foundation of 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, 2 governor of Egypt, and rebuilt it, adding to its extent . At Hulwan he made a large lake, into which water flowed from springs in the hills, named the Mukattam hills, by an aqueduct which he constructed

[from the hills] to the lake. Beside the latter he erected a pavilion 3 of glass . 'Abd al-'Aziz also built several mosques at Hulwan, and spent much money here. One copy of the history states that he spent a million of dinars here. He also planted palms and other trees here. He levied the land-tax several times in every week, fearing that a rebellion might arise and come upon him, and that then he would stand in need of money. He built the bridges over the canal of the Prince of the 4 Faithful . It was his wish to remove the seat of commerce by land Fol. 53 a and water to [Hulwan], and to depopulate Al-Fustat. [In his time] the public treasury was at Hulwan. [There is at Hulwan] a monastery named after the Lady Mary, the Pure Virgin. It was erected at the expense of the bishops, in the

1 I translate the words thus because the statement and even some of the words

are apparently borrowed from Eutychius, who says :

'LWl &J .Ixi-U Jjil ilc > ualjcal Ss ^IjJb. i^>A* ^o

' He had begun to be attacked by the disease of elephantiasis, so the physicians

selected the ii. city of Hulwan as a residence for him.' (Annates, p. 369.) 2 in ii. This was a. h. 79=a. d. 699; see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. pPa . An abstract of Al-Makrizi's full history of the Old Mosque is given by Lane in

Modern vol. ii. F. iii. A. Egyptians, App. p. 348. ( J. B.)

'' Our author's account here seems to be taken from Eutychius; see Annales

(ed. Pococke), ii. p. 369. 4 The Khaltj or canal of Cairo; cf. above, fol. 24 a & b. x 2 156 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 patriarchate of Anba Isaac the monk, who was the forty- first in the order of succession, and in the patriarchate of his successor, Anba 2 Simon the Syrian, the forty-second patriarch, during the governorship c c 3 al- ibn the of of Abd Aziz Marwan, through agency Gregory , bishop 4 . is called the Karkar of Al-Kais The monastery monastery of Abu ; the last word being derived from the name of Gregorios.

Occupied the see from a. d. 686 to 688; see Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 177-9. Al-Makin gives the name of the patriarch as Isak (dl~^) in Coptic, the word see Ta'rikh ad ann. 66. The transcribing IC^.^.K ; al-Muslimin, foundation of a church by the patriarch Isaac at Hulwan, during the residence there of- 'Abd al-'Aziz, is mentioned in the Coptic life of this patriarch; see Amelineau,

Hist, dupatr. Isaac, p. 78. The Patriarchal History also says:

iLJ>U Ss - J J^c ^ **^ - jA (jOj PJ*'l j**^ (Jl i^+t- u <**t?^ <3 O^ ul>^ ^J

5 dJLijJ.1 - Il\~wo s-~iJ Jo-U I jjljls: JS ,^~>o u jyv\ J^j J^xJl

' And [Isaac] built a church at Hulwan because he was visiting the emir 'Abd al-'Azfz at that place. Now the emir had commanded the chief men of Upper Egypt and all the provinces to build each one a house for himself at the

city of Hulwan.' (Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 126, 11. 22-4.) 2 Hist. Pair. Occupied the see from a. d. 68 8-700 (?); see Renaudot, pp. 179-189. 3 This bishop is mentioned as the chief bishop present at the election of John, who was set aside 'Abd al-'Aziz in favour of the Isaac see Brit. Mus. by patriarch ;

1. in MS. Or. 26,100, p. 125, 27 p. 126, 1. 1. The building of the church question and of other churches was entrusted to the superintendence of the bishop Gregory by 'Abd al-'Aziz.

AiJL.jll U^-o aasL.^1 M ij^ LjI'j ,jUk (i ,^.ix-*->. ,j\ t fl.yj5 (J! (jlkl rr^ J^J

' After three years 'Abd al-'Aziz dismissed the bishops to their sees that they find means for two churches at Hulwan and the might building ; bishops spent from their own revenues the and the entrusted money upon building ; governor the of superintendence the building to Gregory, bishop of Al-Kais.' {Ibid. p. 135, 11. 4-6.) 4 The Coptic K

There is a second monastery, which was restored in the same way. 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Marwan decreed that a church should be founded for 1 and the and so this church was founded the patriarch Jonas bishops ; c by the Christian chamberlains of 'Abd al- Aziz ibn Marwan, in the name of the glorious martyr Saint George. This church was small, 3 and was called the church of the Chamberlains . These Christian chamberlains were Melkites.

Church and Monastery at Dahshur.

The church of Moses, who spoke with God. This is a large 3 and spacious church on the bank of the blessed Nile, near Hulwan and Munyat as-Sudan. (Now the Pharaoh of Moses was Al-Walid 4 ibn Mus'ab.) There is a monastery adjacent to this last-named church. This Fol. 53 b is a large building, skilfully planned and constructed, and it contains a large number of monks and devout old men. A festival is kept in this monastery, on the 17th of Tubah, every year, in memory of the

two saints, so celebrated for their monastic life, Maximus and Domitius, his the sons of the Valentinian 5 and brother, emperor , superiors

Al-Idrisi See (ed. Rome) [pp. 47 and 113]; Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. no; Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 395-397. 1 Or he the see a. d. the John; occupied from 677 to 686 (?), and was predecessor of Isaac, and the fortieth of the Coptic patriarchs. See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 174-177. 2 There would seem to be some confusion between this church and that

mentioned on fol. 52 a. Both accounts, however, are based on Eutychius, who speaks of the church built by the chamberlains of 'Abd al-'Aziz at Hulwan in

Annates ii. and calls it a~.u3 as here. (ed. Pococke), p. 369, c^l/ll 8 We are told a few lines further down that it was at Dahshur, which is on the western bank, opposite Hulwan. 4 The father of Ar-Rayyan according to most of the Arab historians; see above, fol. 18 b.

The form of the name is corrupt. The two saints are commemorated on Tubah i7=Jan. 20. They are said to have been the sons of the emperor 158 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

of named after Baramus 1 in the desert of the monastery Our Lady, , of Saint Macarius or Wadi Habib. It was the custom among Christian pilgrims to make a pilgrimage to these two saints three times in the year: namely, at the Feast of at the Feast of the 2 on the the Cross, on the 17th of Tut; Bathing , and on the of and the mani- nth of Tubah ; Monday Easter; people fested great joy on account of these saints, and held spiritual communion [with them]. The revenues of this monastery and this church, which are in the 3 in the of were district called Dahshur , province Al-Jiziyah, composed the partly of an income of money and produce, together with endowments and votive offerings and other receipts. But this state of things was afterwards changed, and disappeared through the dis- of the and this church became a and appearance good people ; mosque, of Moses and the was was called the mosque ; monastery entirely inundated by the river.

Church of the Virgin.

Fol. 54 a There is a church named after Mary, the Pure Virgin. It was restored in the patriarchate of Anba Isaac, the forty-first in the succession, by Gregory, bishop of Al-Kais. The bricks and timber of this church were taken away, at the time of the victory of the emir

their After Valentinian I, and to have been devoted to pious exercises from youth. a pilgrimage to Nicaea, the scene of the Council, they determined to become in the desert Scete. monks, and finally they became disciples of St. Macarius of See Synaxarium ad diem. In the Bib. Nat. of Paris there is an Arabic life of the two saints.

1 This famous monastery is still standing, 2 The Epiphany; see fol. 41a. 3 western in the district of in the of On the bank ; now Jarzah, province It is celebrated account Al-Jizah, and in 1885 had a population of 1,987. on of its pyramids. It stands opposite to Hulwan, but further to the south. See

Wort. ii. irr Rec. de ii. Yakut, Geogr. p. ; ttigyplc, p. 93. 7 MONASTER! OF SAINTANTHONY NEAR THE RED SEA. 159

Husain ibn al-Hafiz and of the quarrel between the Raihaniyah and 1 when on both sides were killed. With the the Juyushiyah , many

' materials thus seized, the mosque called Mosque of the Hyena,' at Itfih, was restored, in the lunar year 528 (a. D. 1134). The result was that this church was entirely ruined and fell to the ground.

Monastery of Saint Anthony near the Red Sea.

Itfih received its name from one of the sons of Malik, son of of the sons of Mizraim for most of the are Tadras, one ; large towns called after the names of their sons. [Itfih] travelled towards the west, until he reached the Darkness'2 and beheld wonders. [Sea of] , many 3 The monastery named after Saint Anthony . This stands to the east of Itfih, and to the south of Misr, and from it to the river Nile there

1 These two sections of the Egyptian army quarrelled and fought in the reign of Al-Hafiz, and his son Husain had much trouble in quelling the riots. See the v account in Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. 1 ff. 2 The Atlantic Ocean, called by the Arabs Az-Zidmah or Bahr az-Zulumdt, was thought by them to be the western portion of the circumambient ocean. In these dark regions, curiously enough, is placed the Fountain of Life, of which

Al-Khidr drank and so lives on to the Day of Judgment. (A. J. B.) 3 Abu Salih now passes from the Nile valley eastward through the desert to the celebrated monastery of St. Anthony, which lies in the mountains towards the Red Sea coast, to the south-east of Cairo, and nearly in lat. 29 N. In Coptic

i. this the Churches, p. 342 ff., may be found some remarks on and neighbouring monastery of St. Paul. A woodcut of Dair Antdniyus is given in Sharpe's Hist, of Egypt, ii. p. 350. St. Jerome in his Life of Hilarion gives a brief description of the place, mentioning the gardens with their springs of running water, and the chapel of St. Anthony on the height. For the visit of the P&re Sicard, see tome v. pp. 125-200 of Nouveaux Me'?)i. des Missions du Levant, Paris, 1725, where there is an interesting plan of Dair Antdniyds and Dair Biilus, as well as a map of Egypt. Still earlier is the visit in the seventeenth century of Jean Coppin, a French officer, who published his travels in a work called Bouclier de VEurope, Paris, 1686, 4to, where there is an account of these monasteries on p. 305 ff. Pococke (vol. i. p. 128), besides some brief notes on the two monasteries, 160 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

is a distance of three days' journey through the desert of Al-Kulzum. The pure body [of Saint Anthony] lies at this monastery, buried in his 1 cave in which he used to is walled within. His , pray ; [the body] up church, named after him, stands upon the summit of the holy mountain. Fol. 54 b This monastery possesses many endowments and possessions at Misr. It is surrounded by a fortified wall. It contains many monks. Within 2 the wall there is a fruitful large garden , containing palm-trees and and and other trees besides apple-trees and pear-trees, pomegranates ; beds of vegetables, and three springs of perpetually-flowing water, with which the garden is irrigated and of which the monks drink. One feddan and a sixth in the garden form a vineyard, which supplies all that is needed and it is said that the number of the which the ; palms contains amounts to a thousand trees and there stands in it garden ; a large and well-built keep. The cells of the monks overlook this garden. The monastery possesses property and gardens also in Itfih. There is nothing like it among the other monasteries inhabited by Egyptian monks. It is in the possession of Jacobite monks. It was in the Egyptian desert that Anba Andunah, the Egyptian, appeared. He was also named Antonios, the Star of the Desert and 3 Father of Monks . He was the first monk who lived in the desert ; and

' gives a rude plan which he says was taken from a MS. map of the country about

them.' Quatremere has some remarks on the monasteries in Mem. i. p. 153 ff. In recent times, the late Mr. Greville Chester visited Dair Anldniyus, and published a short account of it in pamphlet form. Mr. Headlam, of All Souls College, went to the monastery of St. Anthony and thence, like Coppin, on foot across the to that mountains of St. Paul. (A. J. B.) 1 The cave of St. Anthony lies high above the monastery on the steep side of the mountain. From it there opens a magnificent view of the Red Sea and

Mount Sinai. (A. J. B.) 2 The are still celebrated for their gardens fertility. They are watered by springs from the mountain, of a slightly brackish kind, and not by wells as are the of the Nitrian desert. St. gardens See Jerome, quoted above. (A. J. B.) 3 For an account of Anthony and of monasticism in Egypt see Gibbon's well- known chap. 37; Sozomen's Eccl. Hist. i. 13, where it is stated that Anthony MONA STFRY OF SA INT A NTHONY NEA R THE RED SEA .161 monks gathered together to him. He began the building of monasteries and the assembling of monks in them. This holy monastery [which has been described] was built in the reign of the emperor Julian the apostate, son of the sister of Constantine the believer, and in the Fol. 55 a reign of Sapor, son of Artaxerxes, son of Babek, the Sassanian. This great saint, Anthony, was the first monk who clothed himself in wool, and exhibited the monastic habit, and left the world and dwelt in the deserts. The angel of the Lord also appeared to him,

1 and showed him how to wear the monkish habit , and taught him how he must act in dwelling in the desert, that he might be an example to other monks, who should imitate him and live according to his pure life. That emperor of whom we have spoken, I mean Julian, was slain 2 3 the Mercurius as it is related Basil of by martyr , by , bishop Caesarea, 4 who saw the similitude of blood on the point of his lance . According c to the of id ibn Batrik 5 who was of the history Sa , patriarch Melkites,

was born at or near and where his life is Bibl. Ko/uS K6fia Heraclea, given ; Magna

torn. ix. torn. ii. ff. Vitae Pa/rum, p. 729 ; Athanasius, Op. p. 450 ; Rosweyde's

Patrum, s.v.; Sharpe's Hist, of Egypt, ii. p. 274, &c. (A. J. B.) 1 Hence called the Angelic Habit; see Coptic Churches, i. p. 347 and p. 334.

(A. J. B.) 2 This story is related in the legend of St. Mercurius given in Coptic Churches,

PP- 357-36o. (A. J. B.) 3 The story is not to be found in the works of St. Basil now extant in Greek. * Eutychius relates, on the authority of St. Basil, that the latter was sitting in his room, with a picture of St. Mercurius before him, when it suddenly disap-

from the on which it was but that it an hour peared panel painted ; reappeared later with blood on the point of the lance, much to the astonishment of St. Basil,

until he heard that at that very hour Julian had been mysteriously slain. (A. J. B.) 6 I. e. Eutychius; see the story in his Annates (ed. Pococke), i. p. 485, whence

Abu Salih has borrowed it. Artaxerxes is, of course, inaccurately put for his descendant Sapor, mentioned a few lines above. Artaxerxes was the founder of the Sassanian dynasty of Persia, and reigned from a.d. 226 to 241. Sapor II reigned from a.d. 310 to 380. The death of Julian was in a.d. 363, whereas the e. year of Alexander (i. of the Seleucian era) 580 would be 267. (A. J. B.)

y [ii. 7-] 1 62 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

this happened in the reign of Artaxerxes, in the year 580 of Alexander, or, according to another copy, in the year 554 of Alexander. The history of Mahbub al-Manbaji, son of Constantine, relates the same incident. With [Anthony] also was Paul 1 the monk; and these two were the first who clothed themselves in woollen garments, and dwelt in Fol. 55 b the deserts. This was in the of 2 the fourteenth patriarchate Dionysius , in the succession. In the time also lived Athanasius 3 the [of Anthony] , of and Saint Pachomius 4 the scribe, patriarch Alexandria, , Egyptian monk, and Basil, bishop of Caesarea. 5 In this district [of Itfih] there are seven churches, of which six

1 is written it the The name corruptly ; probably passed through stages

30 which are if we that ^ji, l/^JJ) u^-M* lH'" .' u^Ss*., intelligible enough suppose they were the result partly of careless dictation, partly of careless writing from dictation, and partly of careless copying.

i. viz. a saint lived Sozomen (vi. 29 and 13) mentions two Pauls, (1) who at Pherme, a mountain in Scete or the Nitrian desert. There were 500 monks with him. He prayed 300 times a day, and had a bag of pebbles by which to count his orisons a sort of rosary. (2) Paul, called the Simple, who was the a disciple of Anthony and who gave his name to monastery of St. Paul or Dair Bulus, as it is now called, a day's journey to the south of Dair Antilniyus. Abu Salih's account of Dair Bulus a very scanty one is given a few pages

below. (A. J. B.) 2 twelfth of i.e. Occupied the see from a. d. 248 (?) to year Gallienus, 264-5. See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 32-39. St. Anthony lived from a. d. 251 to 356. 3 Athanasius was a friend of St. Anthony. His life and writings are too well

known to need special reference. (A. J. B.) 4 A celebrated monk of Tabennesi, called the Father of the Coenobites, because

' he first gathered the monks together into monasteries. His Fifty Rules for the Monastic Life' are given in Migne's Paires Aegyptii, p. 948; and Palladius gives

his history. See Acta SS. for May 14, Rosweyde, Tillemont, and the Coptic life by his disciple Theodore, published in 1889 by M. Amelineau. Pachomius seems to have been born about a. d. 280, and to have died in a. d. 348 or 349.

His festival is kept by the Copts on Bashans 14 = May 9. (A. J. B.) 5 Itfih As the road to the monastery of St. Anthony started from or near it, THE HERETIC BALUTUS. 163

to the one to the Armenians this last is after belong Copts and ; named the martyr Saint George.

Monastery of Al-Jummaizah.

1 The monastery called the monastery of Al-Jummaizah stands upon the bank of the blessed Nile. Adjacent to it there is a keep, a and a It stands near Dahrut 2 and a garden, and mill, wine-press. , and contained, up to our own time, thirty monks.

The Heretic Balutus.

In the [aforesaid] monastery of Anba Andunah, or Antonios, there was a monk named Balutus, learned in the doctrines of the Christian religion and the duties of the monastic life, and skilled in the rules him in one of his nets for he of the canon-law. But Satan caught ; began to hold opinions at variance with those taught by the Three and he the minds of Hundred and Eighteen [of Nicaea] ; corrupted many of those who had no knowledge or instruction in the orthodox faith. He announced with his impure mouth, in his wicked discourses, that Christ our Lord to Whom be glory was like one of the prophets. Fol. 56 a He associated with the lowest among the followers of his religion,

author if the was in close connexion with the see our speaks as monastery town ; above, fol. 10 a. 1 There are two places of this name : Al-Jummaizah the Great (Al-Kubra) and Al-Jummaizah the Little (As-Sughra), both near Itfih. This monastery- is mentioned by Al-Makrizi (Khrtat, ii. p. o.r), who says it was also called Al-Jud, and was dedicated to St. Anthony. Perhaps it is identical with the monastery of St. Anthony near the Nile, a little to the south of Itfih and therefore not far from Al-Jummaizah; from this monastery provisions were sent to the great monastery of St. Anthony near the Red Sea. 2 A town about twenty miles below Al-Kais, on the west bank, and not far from Al-Bahnasa see Wort. ii. nrr Al-Idrisi ; Yakut, Geogr. p. ; (ed. Rome) [p. 113]. It does not seem to be in existence now. As the place is at some distance from Al-Jummaizah, and on the opposite bank of the river, perhaps our author or his abbreviator has here confused two monasteries. y 2 1 64 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. clothed as he was in the monastic habit, girded with the ziiniyah and 1 the askim . When he was questioned as to his religion and his creed, 2 he professed himself a believer in the Unity of God . His doctrines prevailed during a period which ended in the year 839 of the Righteous then he and his was cut off for ever. Martyrs (a.D. 1123) ; died, memory

CJiurches at Al-Barnil and Saul.

3 In the district of Al-Barnil there is a church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary. Beside it there is another named after the saint 4 Abu '1-Arah .

1 I have already explained that by the askim is meant properly the o^/ua dyytXiKov or angelic habit, but it sometimes denotes merely the leathern girdle,

as Al-Makrizi says :

' is leathern belt the The askim, which a with a cross upon it, and with which

themselves.' ii. o.a monks gird [Khitat, p. .) The wearer of this girdle has, nowadays, for the time being to double his offices and make 600 daily prostrations. The order made by St. Pachomius for

the habit the use a sleeveless cassock l v ei aTOS monkish enjoined of x dx P >

a hood crKiraafia or kovkov\iov, a girdle a>vr) the ziiniyah of the text, and the

dvajUdXfvs, which is defined as rovs coyiovs ko.1 tovs ^pa^iovas dve'xoov, and seems to have been a sort of scarf worn across the shoulders (Sozomen, iii. c. 14). But the Pere Sicard seems to identify the angelic habit with this dva^o^vi. He says ' ' that the habit is a sort of pallium ou scapulaire of leather, called the askim ;

that it falls from the shoulders over the back and chest and has four ends worked

with crosses, and that these ends are disposed crosswise over the body in various

fashions. (JNouv. Mem. des Missions dans le Levant, v. p. 150.) (A. J. B.)

2 ' Or a Unitarian.' (A. J. B.) s Yakut sets this place on the eastern bank of the Nile, but says no more about it. It does not seem to be in existence now, but was presumably between Itfih and Saul. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort, ad voc. 4 I can only conjecture that this saint is the martyred priest of Shatnuf, Aba in the on Misri = 2. See Ari ((j.\ \i\), commemorated Synaxarium 9 Aug.

des de ff. Hyvernat, Actes MM. I'Egypte, p. 202 Cf. Am&ineau, Actes des MM.

copies, p. 151. CHURCHES AT II FIH. 1 65

1 In the district of Saul there is a church named after the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary. There is also a church named after the glorious and valiant martyr 2 Theodore, the Eastern . 3 There is also a church to the glorious Saint John .

Churches at Itfih.

Moreover in the district of Itfih, in the city and outside it, there were more churches but ten of them remain to the than twenty ; only 4 time. One of these is a church in the district of present Balujah , after enclosed within a fortified wall it named the Disciples, and ; has a garden, and a water-wheel attached to a well of fresh running water. this district the church of Saint Mercurius and a church of [In is] ; the which to the and a church after Lady, belongs monks ; named the valiant Theodore and a church named after Saint Cosmas martyr ; ; a church named after the the Pure and a church and Lady, Virgin ; after the saint 5 and a church of the Saint named Aba Jul ; martyr

1 the east of Itfih the is included in the On bank, to the south ; place now district of Itfih (Atfih), in the province of Al-Jiziyah, and in 1885 had a population of See Al-Idrisi Wort. iii. fro 3,184. (ed. Rome) [p. 48]; Yakut, Geogr. p. ;

Rec. de VEgypte, ii. p. 296. 2 This saint, whose festival is kept on Tubah 12= Jan. 4, is very popular

the Actes des ff. ad diem. among Copts. Amdlineau, MM. p. 179 ; Synaxarium, He fought in the Roman army against the Persians together with St. Theodore of Shutb, with whom he is probably confused, and was martyred under Licinius. s It is impossible to say to which St. John this church was dedicated, since

' there are several saints of that name. One of them is St. John of the Golden Gospel' (^aJJI J~?^ u-ao.L), commemorated on Abib i6=July 10, who had the gospels written out for him in golden letters. (A. J. B.) 4 There is some difficulty about this town, which Al-Makrizi places close to Daljah, i. e. on the west bank, to the west of Mallawi and Ushmunain (Khitat, ii.

p. 0.0), whereas our author seems to set it on the east bank, near Itfih. 5 Aba Jul is without doubt a corrupt form of Aba Bajul, the Coptic .n

Fol. 56 b Mennas, called the ' Church of the Column,' over which is a sheet of metal, and to which many votive offerings are brought. The Melkites have a sanctuary in this last-named church, in which they celebrate the liturgy. There is also another church named after the 1 martyr Saint Mennas, near the ancient temple . There is another monastery in the desert, called the monastery of the Mule 2 monks. , containing many

Monastery of Saint Paul near the Red Sea.

3 Within the desert is the monastery of Saint Paul . It stands 4 on the bank of the Salt Sea and between it and the of , monastery Al-Jummaizah there is a journey of two days through the desert. Monks in priest's orders and deacons come from the monastery of the great Saint Anthony to the monastery [of Saint Paul] to celebrate

ITXCJoX or rKTtbX, the name of a celebrated hermit, the first teacher or

religious superior of St. Sinuthius. See Zoega, Cat. p. 375; Amelineau, Mem.

pour servir a Vhist. de Vltglise chre't. au 4 et 5 siecles, p. 5. 1 The notice of an ancient temple, such as is denoted by the term birba, existing in the twelfth century near Itfih, as Abu Salih apparently implies, is interesting, and may be of use to explorers. It is said that there are no ancient there remains now. (A. J. B.) 2 According to Al-Makrizi (Khitat, ii. p. e.i) this was another name for the monastery of Al-Kusair, in connexion with which our author has already told the of the mule see fol. a. story ; 50 3 This is the famous monastery of St. Paul (Dair Btilus), of which I have spoken above, near the Red Sea and almost a day's journey beyond St. Anthony. St. Jerome, in the Life of Hilarion, quotes St. Anthony's disciples, Amathas and Macarius, as stating that Paul the Theban was the real author of monasticism

' ' rei fuisse non nominis if the is and St. principem ejus reading right ; Jerome his own with that St. is professes agreement opinion ; although Anthony generally as the ' father of called, by Abu Salih, monks.' (A. J. B.) * The sea is called in distinction from 1 without an JUil^s.-*' js** epithet, ' which might mean simply a river or canal, and in Egypt generally means the Nile.' AL-FARAMA. 167

1 the in it turns. It stands in the Wadi 'l-'Arabah near liturgy by , of Miriam and it is near it the pool ; Mount Sinai, but divided from by the passage over the Salt Sea.

Al-Arish.

The region of Al-'Arish. In this region there are two large churches, which have stood here from ancient times, and are now in but their walls remain to our own time and the wall of the ruins, up ; 2 which ran the side of the Salt Sea. is still city , along existing. It is said that of all the marble and columns which are to be found at Misr, the greater part and the largest specimens came from Al-'Arish.

Al-Faramd.

The of Al-Farama. This was built Pharaoh 3 on city city by , the river Nile, in the twenty-eighth year after the birth of Moses

1 The Wadi 'l-'Arabah is a valley running from west to east between the Nile

' ' and the Red Sea. The pool of Miriam is a name given by our author to a spring which bursts out of the rock behind the monastery of St. Anthony and supplies it with water, and in which Miriam, the sister of Moses, is said to have bathed at the time of the Exodus ii. . r cf. (Makrizi, Khitat, p. ; Murray's Guide, p. 324). 2 It is interesting to know that remains of the ancient Rhinocolura existed in the time of Abu Salih. The columns at Misr would be mostly those used in the construction of the Christian churches and of the> mosques. These columns were taken from classical buildings, and were not cut or designed during the middle ages. The use of columns for building is illustrated by the well-known story of Ibn Tulun and the Christian architect built his see who mosque ; Al-Makrizi,

ii. 1*10 and S. Lane-Poole's Art the Saracens in Khitat, p. ff., 0/ Egypt, p. 54. (A. J. B.) 3 Champollion justly points out that the towns denoted by the modern Arabic names are not as a rule on the actual site of the ancient towns which they represent, and argues that Al-Farama was rebuilt by the Arabs nearer to the sea than the ancient Pelusium, which is said by Strabo to have been 2,040 yards from the sea, i68 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 the and its name was taken from Faramunus . It was prophet ; exceedingly wonderful, and one of the most ancient of foundations of which there is a record. It is said that there was a way from this t ^ e island of on but the sea covered it. The Fol 57 a Cliy to Cyprus dry land, sea also covered the quarry of black and white marble of Gaza, and 2 the quarry of white marble which was in Libya . There were at Al- Farama many churches and monasteries, which were wrecked by the 3 the but it is said .that the wall of the remains Persians and Arabs ; city to the present day. The book of Fadail Misr* relates that there was in the city of Tinnis a governor called Ibn al-Mudabbar, who sent men to Al-Farama, to pull down the stonework of the gateways on the eastern side of that

city. But when those who were sent to extract the stones arrived, the people of Al-Farama went out armed to meet them, and forbad them to

' extract the stones, saying : These gates are ancient and have never or other allow been injured by any king any man ; how then can we you to extract the stones from them, and take them away to another country? It was through these gates also that Jacob, the father of

and is put by Champollion at 3,000 yards. Abti Salili states above that the Arab

town was on the sea (fol. 19b); Al-Maki izi is evidently wrong in placing it at the distance of a day's journey. Al-Farama was occupied by 'Amr on his way to the conquest of Egypt. Subsequently it was refortified by the caliph Al-Mutawakkil about a. d. 853; and about 11 17, as Abu Salih records, it was taken by Baldwin,

to it king of Jerusalem, who, being unable hold it, laid in ruins and retired. See Hamaker, Incerti auctoris Expugnatio Memphidis, pp. 16, 17; Champollion,

sous les ii. Mem. i. L'lZgypte Pharaons, pp. 82-87 > Quatremere, p. 259. (A.J. B.) 1 This is evidently a transcription of the Coptic Pheremoun or Baramoun. Both the Coptic name and the Greek n^Xoi'o-to^, as well as the modern Arabic the of ' designation At-Tih, have connotation mud.' (A. J. B.) 2 This account of Al-Farama is borrowed from Al-Kindi; see Al-Makrizi,

Khitat, i. p. mi. 3 During the invasion of Chosroes; see Patriarchal History, Brit. Mus. MS.

Or. 12,000, p. 101. * Al-Kindi. Cf. Al-Makrizi i. r 1 By (Khitat, p. r), who quotes Ibn Kudaid. ISHMAEL. 169 the tribes, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham the Friend [of God] 1 be made his and if one of the upon them peace! entry ; perchance kings who believe in God shall undertake to restore the gates, then their stones shall be found safe and in their places.' So the men went away and did not displace a single stone.

Ishmael.

It was Utis 2 the son of to the , Khartaba, who gave Sarah, wife of Abraham the Friend [of God], her handmaid Hagar, in the of life to another thirty-fifth year the of Abraham ; or, according in the and the latter is the true date. copy, eighty-fifth ; By Hagar, Abraham became the father of Ishmael, who was called his son by Fol. 57 b and the Arabs call Ishmael their because he took Hagar ; ancestor, a wife from and are called because among them ; they Ishmaelites, Ishmael was their father, and because Ishmael grew up among the Arabs and spoke the Arabic language. Ishmael lived one hundred 3 4 and . his Arab twelve sons thirty-nine years He had, by wives, , who

1 The allusion is, although somewhat incorrectly made, to the Koran, Stirah

Filsiif, ver. 67, where Jacob says to his sons when they are about to journey to Egypt : ~i 10-1 o ' ' '' " - " .a*? 1 1 .' 1 1 \~ 1 1 / VT 1

' My sons, do not enter by a single gate, but enter by different gates/ Cf. Al-Makrizi, Khitdt, i. p. rir. Cf. the Midrash Rabbah on Gen., Par. 91 (quoted by Geiger, Was hat Mohammed aus dem Judenlhume aufgeno??ime?i ? p. 148) :

nnx nnsa oa^a iD:an ba apir or6 nos

' Jacob said to them : Do not all of you assemble at one gate.' 2 We have here another of our author's digressions. TJtis is the ancient king of Egypt who is named Aftutis on fol. 22 b; see note there. 3 The Hebrew text and the LXX have 137 years. 4 See Gen. xxv. 13-15. The Arab writers naturally give somewhat corrupt forms of their names see Ibn Ishak Ibn Sirah ; e.g. quoted by Hisham, Muhammad^ p. P . z [IT. ?] 170 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

were the Arabs and were the great giants among ; they [heads of] 1 tribes. And Nabish was one of the sons of Ishmael. Now he, I mean Utis, dwelt at Al-Farama. His name is also said to have been Saduk.

He built many cities, and called them by the names of his sons : such as Tinnis and Damietta and Nubah 2 and Dakahlah 3 and he rebuilt ; Samannud. It is said that Pharaoh built Al-Farama, which was a lake of water and a thousand boats were sunk in sea over- ; it, and the whelmed a thousand men, and therefore it was called Alfa ramd^. of built the wall of 5 on the Cleopatra, queen Alexandria, A/-HujY/s , eastern side of the country, from Nubia to Al-Farama, and on the western side from Nubia to Alexandria, to fortify herself against Augustus Caesar, emperor of the Romans, who captured Jerusalem, and carried the Jews away thence to Rome.

Invasion of Egypt by Baldwin I.

Sirbaduwil G of the in to in , king Franks Syria, came Al-Farama

1 Ibn IsMk the Hebrew is see This is the form given by ; Naphish (G^SJ) ;

Gen. xxv. 15.

2 ' Nubah or the Nubians' is the name of a tribe, not of a town.

3 is its name to the The Coptic TKGP^Xl. It the town which gives province of Ad-Dakahliyah in the Delta. It stands between Damietta and Damirah, on the east bank of the Damietta branch, in the district of Faraskur, and in 1885 had its former See 1,197 inhabitants, having much sunk from importance. Yakut,

f. ii. oa i Geogr. Wort. p. ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 509 4 'It cast a thousand;' the etymology reminds us of Virgil's derivation of ' in oris.' Latium, his quoniam latuisset (A. J. B.) 5 The Ha it al-Hujilz or 'barrier-wall,' generally called Ha it al-Ajuz or or of the old has been mentioned fisr al-'Ajuz, 'wall' 'dyke woman,' already to been built in remote on fol. 19 b. It was generally said have antiquity by a queen called Dalukah; and our author's statement that Cleopatra built it to is borrowed from see fortify herself against Augustus, probably Eutychius;

Annates, i. p. 301.

6 n. 1 to 1 1 1 I. e. Siear Baudouin or Baldwin I, king of Jerusalem from a. 100 8. AL-KULZUM. f/i the caliphate of Al-Amir and the vizierate of Shahanshah al-Afdal, in the fifteenth of the of Anba. Macarius 1 the Fol. a year patriarchate , sixty- 58 ninth in the succession. This king of the Franks came with his troops and his army, and plundered the city, and burnt it. He made up his mind to march as far as in order to take of that Misr, possession city ; but he fell sick at Al-Farama on the third day after his arrival, and, as his sickness increased, he commanded his followers to carry him back to Syria. They did as he commanded them, and when he came near to Al-'Arish he died so ; and they embalmed him, and carried him back to Jerusalem, where he was buried.

Al-Kulzum.

2 Al-Kulzum was the fortress of the king, on the frontier bordering upon the Hedjaz, and he named it after the cord of the weaver's 3 stand, which holds the garment, and which is called kulzum . Here is 4 the church of Athanasius . There is a monastery in the district of Ranah, founded by the emperor Justinian. At Al-Kulzum was the end of the canal from Cairo. Here, between the two seas, namely the Syrian Sea and the Sea of the Hedjaz, is the barrier or isthmus, which is the narrowest of land on the surface of the earth and it is the land piece dry ; lying between Al-Farama and Al-Kulzum, a distance of one day and one 5 night's journey. A certain prince undertook to dig a canal between

1 the see from November a. d. to see His/. Occupied 1103 1129 ; Renaudot, Pair. pp. 483-500. His fifteenth year therefore corresponds with a. d. 1118, the year of Baldwin's invasion of Egypt and of his death. 2 See above, fol. 1 9 b. 3 I. e., as Professor Margoliouth suggests, the Greek kKuxj^m. 4 Anba Siyus is incorrectly written for Atanasiyus or Athanasius. His death is commemorated on Misn 29 (Aug. 22). See Synaxarium at that day. Eutychius names the church of St. Athanasius at Al-Kulzum, and states that it was built by order of the see ii. emperor Justinian ; Annates, p. 163. 5 It might be thought that this refers to the canal of Pharaoh Necho, who is said to have been warned by an oracle that his enterprise would only help the z 2 ijz CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

these two places, in order that the two seas might be connected, the one with the other but he feared that the Romans attack ; might the shores of the Hedjaz with their ships. Al-Farama is surrounded by a fortified wall of stone without gates, which is in a state of ruin. It is said that it was in the sea of Al-Kulzum, which is the Red Sea, opposite to the monastery of Anthony, that God drowned Pharaoh and his host, and led the prophet Moses and the children of Pol. 58 b Israel over on land twelve and dry by paths ; some of them remain

1 to this and witnesses to them are not this is day, wanting ; and sea 2 the Bahr Siif . 3 The history of Sa'id ibn Batrik, the Melkite, relates that the dearth was raging at Medina, near Mecca, and the people of Medina, of the Hanifite were in distress so religion, great ; "Umar ibn al-Khattab, in the eighth year of his caliphate, wrote from the Hedjaz to 'Amr ibn al-'Asi ibn 'Adi, emir of Egypt, to inform him of this. Then 'Amr ibn al-'Asi sent to 'Umar a caravan of camels loaded with corn, for which the point of arrival was Medina, and the point of departure Misr. Then 'Umar wrote to 'Amr commanding him to dig a canal to Al- Kulzum, that thus the transport of the corn might be facilitated. So 'Amr dug the canal, which passes through Al-Kantarah, and is called the canal of the Prince of the Faithful and thus boats ; brought wheat and barley from Al-Fustat along the canal to Al-Kulzum, whence they

barbarians, i. e. Phoenicians. But all ambiguity is removed by a passage in Al- Mas'fidi (quoted by Quatremere, Mem. i. p. 175), who states that the caliph Harun ar-Rashid contemplated making a canal across the isthmus, but was deterred by the representation that the Greeks would take advantage of it to gain command of the Gulf of Suez and attack the pilgrim ships on their way towards the holy places

of Arabia. (A. J. B.)

1 It would seem that these two clauses refer to the army of Pharaoh, some relics of which are said to have remained. 2 I.e. the Hebrew ^ID"^. 3 See Eutychius, Annates, ii. p. 321. This canal of Cairo, or Khalij A?)iir al-Muminin, has already been spoken of on fol. 24. CHURCHES IN THE PROVINCE OE AL-JIZAH. 173 were carried over the Salt Sea to Medina, which is the city of Afram, belonging to the diocese of Al-Kulzum, and the children of Israel built it for Pharaoh at that time.

1 is of It said that the canal Cairo starts from the dam near [the island of] Raudah at Misr, and finishes at As-Sadir, in the province of Ash-Sharkiyah, where there is a bridge, and where the wheat is transferred from the bank to the dealer who travels to Mecca and the Hedjaz.

CJmrclics in the Province of Al-Jizah.

2 Pol. 59 a The western bank [of the Nile]. The province of Al-Jiziyah . The fortress of Al-Jizah was built by 'Amr ibn al-'Asi, in the year 3 22 of the Hegira (a. d. 43), and was completed for the Hamdan . This last is [the name of] an Arab tribe who settled there at the time of the conquest of Alexandria.

1 The present canal or hhalij was doubtless the old Amnis Trajanus, and it starts from the Nile, as described, at the Finn al-Khalij, near the island of Raudah. Yakut (Geogr. Wort. iii. p. oi) speaks of As-Sadir as a marshy district on the eastern boundary of Egypt, being the first place arrived at by one coming to that from and he adds that he visited the himself. country Syria ; had place Abu Sal ih means, I suppose, that the canal at the time of his writing, in the twelfth century, was still available for merchandise as far as As-Sadir, from which point transport to the east had to be made by camel. The greater part of the canal was disused as early as the eighth century, when the caliph Al-Mansur is said to have filled it up. (A. J. B.) 2 Al-Jizah, now pronounced Ghizah, is the name of the town or village on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Cairo, and it gives its name to the province. The name of was or Coptic Al-Jizah "f"HepCHC TiepCIOI. (A. J. B.) 3 The caliph 'Umar warned the Muslims not to allow any great river to intervene between them and their home in Arabia, so that if they had to flee back to their native there be no obstacle in their but in of this country might way ; spite the tribe of Hamdan insisted on settling at Al-Jizah on the further side of the Nile, and 'Amr built a fort for them there. See As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah, i. p. ai . 174 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 In the western part of Al-Jiziyah are the tombs of the kings or Pharaohs, in which are their treasures, all traces of which have been effaced.

In this district [of Al-Jizah] is the church of the martyr Victor, son 2 of Romanus on the bank of the it was built at the of , river; expense Abu '1-Khair as-Sairafi, a native of Al-Jizah. A light was seen to proceed from the picture of the Lady in the apse of this church on several occasions and this became ; thing celebrated, and was talked

of by many of the faithful who had witnessed it, and by other persons of authority. The foundations of this church were inundated by the river, it so that it almost fell into ruin ; but was restored, and its foundations

were strengthened, and an enclosure in the river was built for it, c to give it strength, by the Shaikh Izz al-Kufat Abu '1-Fakhr ibn Sulaiman, the scribe, who spent much money upon it. This [shaikh] was celebrated in his time for his benevolence and his almsgiving. Kurds of the aforesaid The Ghuzz and destroyed part church ; but God on this account performed a great wonder, so that they never attacked it and this was that the end of the not one again ; by year of those who had attacked the church was living. Fol. 59 b Adjacent to this church there is a garden. After a time the river the and the architects were unable to invent gained upon building ; any remedy, so that the river carried away the eastern side of the building. Then Fakhr ad-Din, the wall of Misr, known as Ghulam al-Baniyasi, carried off eighteen pillars, marked with the sign of the 3 inn for cross ; and he built with them an and other houses himself; but he was deprived of the governorship of Misr, and was fined soon after all his seized to the fine and he died this, and property was pay ; during his imprisonment.

1 The pyramids are, of course, intended. (A. J. B.) 2 The name is corruptly written here, but all other authorities make it see MS. Arabe which has Romanus; Synaxarium (Paris 256), ^^iUj. ; Zoega, &c. Actes des if. Cat. p. 239, ; Ame'lineau, MM. p. 177 s This allusion to consecration crosses cut or painted on the pillars is

interesting. See Coptic Churches, i. p. 188, &c. (A. J. B.) CHURCHES IN THE PROVINCE OF AL-JIZAH. 175

al-Kufat 1 stood river he lest The house of Fakhr by the ; and feared as it had the rest so he the river should destroy it, destroyed ; pulled it down, and carried away all the materials and the timber, and the timber of the roof of the church which has been described, with its materials, and rebuilt with them a church which had fallen into ruin, 2 and which was named after Mark the Evangelist. This building he

made wider and handsomer than the former church ; and it remained for several years in good order, until the Ghuzz and the mob of Muslims attacked it and wrecked it and after that no one restored it but ; again ; its walls are still standing, in a ruined state, and it is deprived of liturgies and prayers. This destruction took place at the promotion of Anba John, son of Abu Ghalib, the seventy-fourth patriarch. There is a church of Saint Peter at Al-Jizah, on the bank of the Nile, the foundations of which are in the river. It was in this church Fol. 60 a that the Christians assembled, at a time when the Nile was slow in and offered on this account rising ; they prayers by night and by day, fasted for the of a whole at the of and space week ; and end the week God filled up the measure of the waters of the Nile, and they increased beyond that, after the rising of Arcturus, until they reached a height of seventeen cubits or more; and the Life of Anba Michael states that reached 3 cubits and men ceased to of the they eighteen ; despair

1 Izz al-Kufat. 2 Mentioned by Al-Makrizi, and by the Copto-Arabic lists (Amdlineau, Ge'ogr. pp. 578 and 580). 3 I have inserted these two clauses here instead of lower down, where the copyist has misplaced them in the text. The history of this rise of the Nile in answer to the prayers of the Christians is borrowed by our author from the Life of Michael the forty-sixth patriarch, by John the Deacon, included in the patriarchal biographies. This writer describes the assembly of bishops at Al-Fustat, according to the custom which prescribed that all the bishops should meet the patriarch in twice in the and stated that the Nile had not risen that synod, year ; having year above fourteen cubits, he adds :

ax?J! ^t^< blk-ill ipSS\ jjl UiaOj ijs.- ^W*J J^'^ ULj ^ >^

' rising of the Nile. Then Narun, the wali of Misr, said : How does God receive the prayers of the Christians!' At Al-Jizah there is also a church named after the angel Michael, near to which lies the village of Al-Khaizaraniyah. It was to this

lu Lil iut* i__^LiJl ciKiaJl ^jlSj (*-*jl5 <***lAb u^^^ l# ]y i*^ ts*-* i^d/^ cJ"

I *:> 8* * BJu> I SJLJ <_^JJLU J-*S?VI_j uywJudl j^vJuoU* rJ^J ^-^^J (j-J^il Jw^S^lj

" 3 1-^ 6 eyWLi dJ'Mi !l (_ *jt.^JI .S^ll ^j* ??*^ (*-^*^ ^-*^ (j* jU (J- ^j^aJlsS ^*j*.Le r

"' tsr^ s^**'^ 1 !^^sri *^ i|5j /tlbj r^^ J ?" /*-*~*

tS~~- *a ' 5 *^ /*^>j sl-j "-r* ^ Uj;^- _/**^ J"^ ^J ^/^j ^ cr "^J J*lj pl)^

'When the 17th of Tut came, which is the festival of the Glorious Cross, the clergy of Al-Jizah and of distant places assembled, with most of the lay people of Al-Fustat, old and young, and walked in procession carrying the Gospels and censers with incense. Then we entered the great cathedral church of St. Peter, the foundations of which lie in the river ; but the church could not contain the

people on account of their multitude, so that they stood in the outlying places. Then the patriarch raised the cross, while Anba Mennas, bishop of Memphis, stood by him with the holy Gospel, and led us all forth, bearing crosses and books of the until stood the banks of the river this Gospel, we on ; and was before sunrise. And the patriarch prayed, and Anba Mennas, the bishop, prayed, and the did not cease eleison until the third hour of the so that laity crying Kyrie day ; all the Jews and Muslims and others heard our cries to the most high God. he heard be to his for the river rose And us, praise glorious name ; and increased in one cubit and man and height by ; every glorified God gave thanks to him. And when Narun heard of this matter he was filled with wonder

and fear, both he and all his troops.' (Paris MS. Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 183, 11. 5-i4.)

Cf. Renaudot, Hist. Patr. p. 230, where he wrongly says that the church of St. Peter was at Misr. Al-Makrizi also mentions the event.

The subsequent rise to the height of eighteen cubits is mentioned in the MS. just quoted on p. 180, 1. 7. CHURCHES IN THE PROVINCE OF AL-JIZAH. 177 church [of the angel Michael] that Anba Michael, the forty-sixth patriarch, came with the bishops who were his fellow-prisoners, when they were released from the hand of Marwan al-Ja'di, the last of the Omeyyad caliphs. Afterwards the river inundated this church, and not a trace of it remained. The monastery named after the glorious martyr Mercurius. The 1 church to it was the Khorassanians when belonging destroyed by , they were transported to the western bank of the river, in order to fight with 2 Marwan, surnamed the Ass of War . 3 is a of the in There church Mark , evangelist and apostle, the fort built Khush 4 of the at the as by , king Persians, same time the Kasr asJi-Sliamd at Misr. The king used to alight at both of them Fol. 60 b from his boat. The church of the also called the Red 5 angel Michael, Monastery , is on the bank of the blessed Nile. In this monastery there is a church named after Cosmas and Damian, which has a conspicuous dome of stone.

1 The best account of the attack upon Marwan made by the Khorassanian troops of the Abbaside caliph As-Saffah is given by the contemporary witness, John the Deacon, in the life of Michael just quoted. 2 This sobriquet alluded to his vigour and tenacity. 3 This must be the church already mentioned on fol. 59 b. 4 I. e. Artaxerxes Ochus. The name is shortened from and the ^^.1 , points over the ^ are, of course, incorrect. Eutychius, after mentioning Artaxerxes Mnemon, says :

'And after him reigned his son Artaxerxes, called Ochus.' Further down

Eutychius says :

x*-iJl 1 ,*U ,-** Jolla-Jb dlo >-^> ,*vJl 9j jd>\ (w,all (wji^'l llij

' And Ochus, king of the Persians, built at Fustat Misr the fort which is now called Kasr ash-Shamd! (Annates, i. p. 267.) 5 This must still be in the province of Al-Jiziyah, and is not to be confounded with the Red Monastery of Upper Egypt.

a a [IT. 7.] 178 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OE EGYPT.

1 Al-Khaizaraniyah . Here is the church of Saint Poemen, [the 2 garden of] which contains fruitful palm-trees and an arbour of trees . 3 Munyat Andunah . Here there is the church of the saint 4 and a church named after Abu 5 the Abu Bimah ; Bagham ,

1 This village or district was, as we have been told a few lines above, contiguous to Al-Jizah. Both the locality and its church of St. Poemen are named in the Copto-Arabic lists (Ame'lineau, Ge'ogr. pp. 578 and 580), thus

' at or in [Church of] Saint Poemen Pouhit Al-Khazraniyah.' M. Amelineau, spite of his study of Abu Salih, has not discovered the mention of this place and church in our author, and therefore is totally at a loss as to the position of

Al-Khazraniyah, or Al-Khaizaraniyah {op. cit. p. 363). The name of St. Poemen,

' ' M. Amelineau assures us, is translated into Greek [sic] by Pastor ! 2 LjLiilj put by a clerical error for i_>LiM, seems to denote trees, and is probably the Syriac J^-s-j. 3 This village, on the west bank, a little to the south of Al-lizah, is said to have been named after a Christian scribe of Ahmad al-Mada'ini, whose riches excited the cupidity of Ahmad ibn Tulun, so that he fined him 50,000 dinars.

See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. r.A . 4 In Coptic

' as Aba Abimah.' Pie was a celebrated martyr, born at Pankoleus in the nome of

Pemje or Al-Bahnasa. Pankoleus appears to be the same as Jalfah, which is mentioned by our author on fol. 73 b and 74 a; see Ame'lineau, Ge'ogr. p. 96. Epime or Abimah was a landed proprietor and the chief of his townsmen. In the persecution of Diocletian, he was ordered to bring forth the presbyters of the town and to hand over the sacred vessels, but answered that there were no permanent priests there, and that the vessels were of glass. The saint was sent to Alexandria, where Armenius, the governor, condemned him, it is said, to be a at the thrown into furnace baths, from which he emerged unhurt; but finally he was beheaded, after manifold tortures, at Annas. His life was written by Julius of Akfahs; and his festival is kept on Abib 8= July 2. See Synaxariutn at that Cat. 22 Actes des day; Zoega, p. ; Ame'lineau, MM. p. 134. 5 A soldier in the time of Diocletian, who, on account of his adoption of Christianity, was scourged and afterwards put to death. His festival is on Kihak 2 = Nov. 28. CHURCHES IN THE PROVINCE OF AI-JIZAH 179

martyr, whose body lies within it, although his monastery is at Suyut \ Wadab al-Kum. Here is one church. 2 Bunumrus or Kasr Khakan. There is here a church named after the holy martyr Saint George, which was restored by Tim as-Sarf Abu '1-Makarim al-Wizan bi 'sh-Shafa if and within it is tablet ; there a of wood fastened with thread. 3 Bulak . Here is the church of Saint George, beside which grows an ancient lotus-tree and the church of the valiant ; martyr Theodore. 4 At Mukhnan there is a single church.

1 Suyut or Usyut, now more commonly called Asyut, is the largest town in Upper Egypt, since it contained, in 1885, 31,398 inhabitants. It is the Coptic CKJOOYT" and the classical Lycopolis; and it is now, as it was in the time of our author, the capital of a province. See AmeTneau, Ge'ogr. p. 466. 2 Called Abu 'n-Numrus by Al-Makrizi and others. It is now in the district of Badrashain, in the province of Al-Jizah, and had in 1885 a population of 2,593 inhabitants, besides 299 Bedouins. It was called in Coptic TIorUULOttpOC, and the Arabic form whh J\ is, of course, the result of a popular assimilation to other names compounded with that word. See Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 361 f. 3 I. e. Bulak ad-Dakrur. The suburb of Cairo named Bulak was not founded until a. d. 1 see ii. ir. . 13 3 ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. 4 This place, the Coptic JULO^ortOIt, lay in the province of Al-Jizah, a little to the north of Cairo, on the east side of the Rosetta branch of the Nile, and was sometimes called Mukhnan Muna '1-Amir, as being close to the latter

place. M. Ameiineau's article on the name consists of the following words : Ce nom se trouve dans la liste des 'Mokhonon, JULO^OItort, ^^s.**- eglises de l'Egypte, qui est publiee a la fin de cet ouvrage. II devait sans doute faire partie de la banlieue du Caire, comme la plupart des lieux cites dans cette liste. II n'a pas laisse" de traces dans l'Egypte contemporaine, et e*tait meme deja perdu dans le xive siecle' {Ge'ogr.^. 585). It is remarkable that M. Amelineau here disregards the testimony of our author himself, of Yakut, and of the revenue-list published by De Sacy, although he expressly states that he has had recourse to these very authorities for the composition of his book. See Yakut, Gcogr. Wort.

i. aai De Relation de p. ; Sacy, TEgyple par Abd-Allatif, p. 676. a a 2 180 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 Muna '1-Amir . Here there is a single church. Tamha. Here is the church of the martyr Theodore, which was restored by the Shaikh Abu '1-Yaman al-Bazzaz, who paid the expenses

of it.

2 Wasam . Here is the church of the Lady, restored by the priest George, of Upper Egypt, scribe of Al-Ustadh Sandal al-Muzaffari. It is said that there were at Wasim 366 churches, in which the liturgy was celebrated every day, and t'o which priests and deacons were attached at which also the ; laity congregated. 3 Fol. 61 a Al-Muharrakah to Bunumrus. Here there is an , contiguous extensive church, and a large monastery containing many monks.

Monastery of Nahyd.

4 The is the of the of as following history monastery Nahya , I learnt it from Sa'id the deacon, son of Najah, who was a novice

1 See above, fol. 34 b. Near Mukhnan, and now included in the district of Badrashain, in the province of Al-Jizah, with a population in 1885 of 2,935. Mund (**) is the plural of Munyak, and the place in question was sometimes

' called in the singular Munyat al-Amir. Nevertheless M. Amelineau writes it Mina ' ' al-Emir {j^\ l~*), as if it were compounded with the Arabic L~, harbour.' The modern pronunciation Mina (,V*, less correctly L*) arises from the present vocalization of the singular as Minyah (ii*). DeSacy transcribes the name as Mona al-Amir. The place is called in Coptic HlJULOftH JULIl^JULepe. See Yakut, Mushtarik, P.l De Relation de Recensemetit de p. ; Sacy, I'Egypte par Abd-Allatif, p. 676;

VEgypte, ii. p. 218; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 256 f. 2 On the west bank of the Nile, near Cairo, a little to the north-west. It is now called Ausim, and gives its name to a district of the province of Al-Jizah. In 1885 it had 7,170 inhabitants. In Coptic it is fiOYOJHJUL. See Yakut,

Wort. iv. in ff. Geogr. p. ; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 51 3 This village, if correctly placed here, must not be confounded with Al-Muharrakah at Kusakam, named on fol. 78 a. 4 A little to the west of Al-Jizah, in the same province, and now, with a population of 3.914, included in the district of Wasim (Ausim). See Yakut, MONASTERY OF NAHYA. 181

[there], and a native of the town of Nahya, when I visited the monastery in the month of Shauwal, in the year 569 (a. D. 1173), at the feast of the holy Pentecost, in order to receive the communion there. He said that he had in a chronicle 1 the statement that this found, , holy monastery was erected by a merchant, who had come to Egypt 2 from the west, when he arrived at Misr from the frontier district of Alexandria, before the reign of Diocletian, the unbeliever, who shed the blood of the martyrs, and commanded the people to serve idols, and slay victims for them, and offer them up to them, and burn incense to them. That merchant had come from the west forty years before these things happened. When Al-Mu'izz li-dini 'llah came from Western Africa, and took of 3 he beneath the walls of this possession Egypt , encamped monastery, and stayed there seven months, and laid out in front of it a garden, with a well and water-wheel, at the foot of the hill to the west of the sycamore- tree, besides constructing a cistern for the convenience of travellers. This well is now filled up, and the cistern is disused. Subsequently [Al- Mu'izz] entered Misr. At the present day the garden is a waste, and there is nothing left in it except the roots of sycamores and lotus-trees.

Wort. iv. Aer Rec. de ii. This was one of the monas- Geogr. p. ; tEgypte, p. 258. teries of Egypt which were famous even among the Mahometans. There was an account of it in Ash-Shabushti's Book of the Monasteries, from which our author himself quotes on fol. 64 a and b, and which is also quoted by Yakut, Al-Kaz\vini and Al-Makrizi. Quatremere gives a translation of our author's account of the monastery of Nahya (Nehia) in Mem. i. pp. 1 16-125, Dut w^h certain alterations and omissions. (A. J. B.) 1 That this monastery once possessed a good library may be inferred from Ibn hist, Mansur, quoted by Quatremere, Rech. Cn't. et sur tE^yple, p. 145. (A.J.B.)' 2 Memphis is often spoken of by the Arabs as Misr al-Kadimah, or Ancient Misr.

3 Al-Mu'izz was great-grandson of the founder of the Fatimide dynasty at Tunis. Egypt was conquered by his troops in a. d. 969, and in a.d. 973 he himself arrived in Egypt. (A. J. B.) 1 82 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Al-Hakim caused this monastery to be burnt to the ground. After- wards, however, it was restored by an official, a native of Wasim in Fol. 61b the of and Al-Hakim an endowment province Al-Jiziyah ; granted there to the monks, which has remained up to this day. The columns of this monastery, at its restoration, were constructed of granite. Al-Amir bi-ahkami ['Hah] visited this monastery in the vizierate ibn Fatik but he found the which was closed of Muhammad ; doorway, an iron too low for him 1 and as he would not consent to by door, , enter with bowed head, he turned his face to the outside, and his back to the door, and crouched down, until he had entered. Then he walked straight forward until he had entered the sanctuary. Then he said

' to one of the monks: Where is the place at which the priest stands?'

' So [the monk] showed it to him. Then the caliph said : Where is the ' place at which the deacon stands ? So the monk informed him where it was. Then Al-Amir took his stand in the priest's place, and said to

' the monk : Stand opposite to me, in the place of the deacon.' So the monk did this. When the caliph had walked round the church, he gave to the monks a thousand dirhams, after receiving hospitality he went out of the to and did from them ; and then monastery hunt, not pass the night in the monastery on that occasion. The altar was approached by a descent of some steps, followed by an ascent 2 but the were removed the Shaikh Abu son , steps by '1-Fadl, of the bishop, who filled up the [hollow] place, and paved it. He also made a wall of masonry before the sanctuary upon three pillars of 3 marble .

1 This is the usual form of doorway to a dair in remote places even now, as at the Natrun monasteries. The description in Coptic Churches, i. p. 296, of

' a doorway scarcely four feet high, and closed with a massive iron-plated door,' with in exactly agrees that the text. (A. J. B.) 2 This hollow place before the altar with steps on each side was doubtless meant to give access to a confessionary in which relics were deposited under the

altar. (A. J. B.) 3 Quatremere translates thus {Mem. i. p. 118): 'II placa devant le sanctuaire un voile soutenu par trois colonnes de marbre/ ignoring the word 1>M>. The MONASTERY OF NAHYA. 183

After this, Al-Imam al-Amir began to pay visits to the monastery, with his retinue and troops, to hunt. He erected here a lofty manzarak, a the northern side the surmounted by high cupola on [of monastery] ; its door was outside the monastery, but it possessed a staircase, constructed of stone, which was ascended from [within] the monastery. The door is now walled up. 1 The worms did so much damage to this manzarah, besides other Pol. 62 a parts, that it fell, and not a trace of it was left. The caliph Al-Amir spent a night in the monastery on two separate occasions, and went out each day to hunt. He was entertained by the monks and time that he visited the ; accordingly every monastery, he gave them a thousand dirhams, so that they received in this way twenty-five thousand dirhams, in good coin. The old wall [of their dwelling] had fallen to decay; and so the new enclosure which is now standing was built with that money. The number of the camels which carried the stone and the bricks to the monastery every day amounted to forty. Near the monastery, within the enclosure, and in its south-eastern corner, there is a well of running water, covered with a roof. Then the monks, when saw the of Al-Imam A they great liberality al-Amir, and began to allow themselves freedom with him, asked him to grant the monastery a piece of land which they might cultivate year and he their and a of by year ; granted request, by permanent deed gift in his own handwriting gave to the monastery a piece of land in the 2 district of Tuhurmus in the province of Al-Jiziyah, and in their neighbourhood, of about thirty fedddns in extent, [to judge] without measure- ment and this in their until ; remained posses'sion the Ghuzz and Kurds conquered [the country] in the year 564 (a. D. 1169), and took this land away from the monastery, so that nothing was left to the

words are difficult to understand. They seem to refer to an altar screen, although it is not easy to imagine any symmetrical arrangement with three pillars, the central one of which would necessarily come where the door should be, nor to a ' ' in picture wall supported the manner described. (A. J. B.) 1 2 Termes Arda. Mentioned by Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. cfo . 184 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

monks except the fishing-pool, on the produce of which they make a profit. Fol. 62 b One of the government scribes of Misr came to this monastery to ask for to his water drink, and to wash hands ; but he found the water there scanty in quantity, and so he caused a well to be dug within the enclosure, opposite to the southern wall of the church. Those who dug the well met with a rock [in the course of their work] and so he caused it to be cut through, at the cost of one dinar for every the number of cubits to fourteen this cubit, and amounted ; and was in addition to the money that he spent on the digging and fitting up of the well. It is this well from which water is drunk at the present

day. May God rest the soul, and reward the intention of the founder ! The water which comes up from this well is sweet, good, light, and digestive. The reporter of this narrative, whom I have already designated, said that the church of this monastery was named after Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, whom our Lord Jesus Christ raised from the dead, and who lived nine years after that, and became bishop of Cyprus 1 for a considerable time. The number of the Jews who witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus was 7,400 men, besides women

' and children. The reporter of this true narrative said to me : I used to receive counsel from the monk who was my spiritual father, and he informed me of all that you have heard from me, for he lived in this monastery, and met here with old men who told him all that I have Pol. 63 a told you. On a certain occasion I was about to behave irreverently

in a the well but this old man forbad me. : place opposite ; saying "This contains the of Martha and 2 place, my son, tomb Mary , which

1 The resurrection of Lazarus is commemorated by the Copts on Barmahat 20= March 16. The emperor Leo translated the reputed relics of Lazarus from Cyprus, where he was said to have been bishop of Citium, to the monastery which the emperor had built in his honour at Constantinople. See Acta SS. at May 4. 2 Nothing is known in the west of the reputed relics of St. Martha and St. Mary in Egypt. MONASTERY OF NAHYA. . 185

1 lie beneath it in a crypt which was made for them." On this account I began to reverence that place, and to pray in it. One day I measured [the ground] from this place of which I have been speaking to the edge of the well, and found the distance to be eighteen cubits, and the distance from the place of the tomb to the southern wall of the church, including the distance to the well, [I found to be] twenty-nine cubits.

' God knows that I possess no means of erecting a cupola over their ' tomb, so that it might be known thereby ! In this church there is a tank, into which the water flowed from that well which I have mentioned through a pipe, which was afterwards filled up. There is in the monastery a Persian mill, which contained an instrument for peeling off the bran, but this has now become useless. 2 Near the church there is a and of three large lofty keep , consisting stories, which is entered from within the church by a flight of steps. This keep fell into decay, and so it was restored by the Shaikh Al-Makin Abu '1-Barakat, the scribe, known as Ibn Katamah, who also restored the wall contiguous to the washhouse, below, and restored the pipe. Near [the keep] there is a church named after the holy father Fol. 03 b Andunah or Anthony, which has fallen into decay.

Outside and in front of the monastery there are a number of cells, which belonged to the monks when they came out from the monastery of Saint Macarius in the of 3 patriarchate Anba Benjamin , the thirty- eighth in the succession, but which are now ruined.

1 Tafias is a of the Greek transcription rdfos. , (A. J. B.) 2 The tower or keep is a conspicuous feature in all the desert monasteries at the present time in fact it is the citadel of the fortress. See the Pere Sicard's description and woodcut of Dair Antaniyus and the illustration in Coptic Churches, i. and pp. 295 309. (A. J. B.) 3 It seems to have been in the patriarchate of Damianus, the thirty-fifth patriarch, that the monasteries of the Wadi Habib were pillaged by the Berbers, and they remained in a partly deserted condition until the Mahometan conquest in the time of the patriarch Benjamin, when they were restored. See the patriarchal biographies, Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, pp. 95, 103, noff. The

b b [IT. 7.] 1 86 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

In the monastery there are two crypts : one of them near the church for the of and the other of Saint Anthony, burying bishops Al-Jiziyah ; under the keep, for burying the monks. There are also in the monastery places of burial for the villagers. the timbers of this church The worms destroyed monastery and the ; were down at the of that 1 who and so they pulled expense Sayyid , constructed instead of the roof [of timber] a vaulted roof, and enclosed the columns within piers [of masonry], and none of the columns remained visible, except the two ancient granite columns which of [stand] in front of the picture the Lady, the Pure Virgin. The 2 wooden Rnstul remained, because it had been anointed with myrrh, which prevented the worms from injuring it. The number [of the monks] who are assembled together in this monastery in our own time amounts to seven or less. According to the Guide to the Festivals, composed by Anba Jonas, bishop of Damietta, every year, on the 30th of Ba'unah, the festival of Mary and Martha is kept, who are [buried] near the Two Pyramids, in the monastery known as the Monastery of the Dogs, the correct 3 is of the Vinedresser but the Meikites name of which the Monastery ; is burnt it, on account of their hatred towards the Jacobites. It said that the bodies of these two saints and the body of Lazarus are at 4 Fcl. 64a Constantinople, and were translated thither from the island of Cyprus .

destruction of the church of St. Macarius and of the cells by the Arabs of Upper

* s on Barmudah 1 = March see Egypt (j^-JI \j^f) commemorated 27; Synax- arium at that day. 1 I. e. Ibn Katamah. 2 This sentence is left untranslated by Quatremere in quoting the passage, doubtless because he failed to understand it. The word Bus/ul has already been fol. a. the 'wooden explained in connexion with a similar passage above, 27 By the an BustuV is meant a pillar painted with figure of apostle. (A. J. B.) 8 The Muslims contemptuously changed the name Dair al-Karrdm into of Dair al-Kildb, as they transformed the name of the Church the Resurrection of the (Kiydmah) at Jerusalem into Church Rubbish-heap (Kumdmah). (A. J. B.) 4 The translation of the relics of St. Lazarus from Cyprus to Constantinople is commemorated by the Copts on Babah 2i=Oct. 18. MONASTERY OF NAHYA. 187

The Guide to the Festivals also states that the birth of the Lad)' [which took place] outside Jerusalem in the reign of Augustus Caesar, 1 is on the ]st of Bashans which is called the celebrated every year , l ld as-SunhdaJi. In another copy of the Guide, the monastery of Nahya is said to be dedicated to the Lady. This monastery formerly belonged to the bishop of Al-Jiziyah and the island of Misr, but the patriarch Anba Mark transferred it to himself; he was the seventy-third in the order of succession. He allowed the bishop to receive three dinars yearly from the revenues of the monks. 2 In the district called in the of is Nahya , province Al-Jizah, situated the monastery which has been described above. It is surrounded by a wall, and the church which it contains, named after the Lady the pure Virgin Mary, was restored by a merchant who came from the West.

[The caliph] Al-Imam al-Amir bi-Ahkami 'llah used to come to this and the here and he erected in it monastery enjoy country ; a manzarah, and restored the enclosing; wall. The Canon of the Festivals states that the church of this monastery is named after Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, whose festival is kept on the 28th of Tubah every year, or on the 19th. The Book the Ash-Shabushti 3 testifies that this of Monasteries, by , monastery is one of the finest and most agreeably situated in Egypt, Pol. 64 b and that the view of it is most admirable, especially during the days of the high Nile, and of the sowing of seed. It has a canal, where

1 I.e. April 26. So also the Coptic Synaxarium, Paris MS. Arahe 256.

' 'Id as-Sunbulah means festival of the constellation Virgo.' Cf. the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary in Thilo, Proleg. xc-cv and 340 f. 2 Here begins another account of the same monastery of Nahya. 3 This passage from Ash-Shabushti is quoted in much the same words, but 1 without mention of the Yakut Wort. ii. v.t and source, by (Geogr. p. ) by

Al-Kazwini {Kiidb Athdr al-Bildd, ed. Wiistenfeld, p. irr), and, with due acknowledgment of the author, by Al-Makrizt. b b 2 188 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OE EGYPT. people assemble to enjoy the country. It has also an extensive fishing- pool. The waters of the blessed Nile surround this monastery on its x four sides . Church of Saft Maidiim.

2 Saft Maidum . Here there is a church, common [to different sects], containing three altars : one of them, in the middle, belonging to the and after the valiant Theodore the second Copts, named martyr ; belonging to the Armenians, and named after the glorious martyr Saint the third to the the George ; [dedicated] Lady, Virgin Mary, and belonging to the Melkites.

Pyramids of Al-Jizah. These were built Hermes 3 the the three- The Pyramids. by , wise, fold in wisdom, who by his knowledge of the secrets of nature, invented

1 I. e. during the annual inundation. 2 Or Saft Maidun. Formerly in the province of Al-Bahnasa, but now in that of Bam Suwaif and in the district of Zawiyah, with a population in 1885 of

Recensement de ii. The 1748. See Yakut, Mushtarik, p. m ; I'figypte, p. 279. insertion of the passage referring to Saft Maidum here, in the midst of a description of the province of Al-Jizah, is an illustration of the want of plan of the book in its present form. ' ' 3 ' ' The earliest mention of Mercurius or Hermes Trismegistus occurs in Tertullian, Adv. Valent. c. 15, and in Lactantius, if the passage of Manetho quoted by Georgius Syncellus is an interpolation. A papyrus of the reign of Gallienus speaks of rpto-^eyto-ro? "Epfiijs as the god of Hermopolis in Egypt, i. e. see in Mitth. aus der Samml. der Ushmunain ; Wessely Pap. Erzherzog Rainer,

v. p. 133 f. In the hieroglyphic inscriptions, Thoth, who was identified by the Greeks with Hermes, is called 'great, great,' i.e. 'twice great.' To this Thoth or Hermes was ascribed the authorship of all the sacred books which the Greeks and Clement of Alexandria that there were of called Hermetic ; says forty-two such works, forming a sort of encyclopaedia of knowledge. In the third and fourth centuries the name was adopted by the writers of various Neo-Platonic and Cabbalistic works, but it is doubtful whether any writer was ever known as Trismegistus, although there are extant under the name many MSS. To the PYRAMIDS OF AL-jiZAH. 189 the art of alchemy, and was able to make substances. His birthplace was Memphis. He is said to have been the same as Idris, ' 1 who is related to have been raised up to a high place .' The Sabaeans

Arabs the name was well known through the existence in Arabic of many treatises ascribed to see Khalfah Hermes Trismegistus ; Haji (ed. Fluegel), iii. pp. 53, 424, 480, 592; iv. pp. 100, 465; v. pp. 39, 41, 157, 171, 247, 587, where works of Hermes are mentioned on such subjects as alchemy, talismans, the mystic use of letters, astrology, the philosopher's stone or elixir (^vM = &p")- The belief that the pyramids of Al-Jizah were built by Hermes, or that one of them was his tomb, was widespread among the Arabs, who, however, generally derived it the say that they from Sabaeans; see Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 969;

'Abd Mukhlasar i. 1 1 i-iri al-Latif, (ed. White), p. 99; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, pp. ;

As-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhddarah, i. pp. 1 v, pf, po . (A. J. B.) 1 The identification of Hermes with Idris, who is further identified with the Enoch of Genesis, is common to most of the Arab historians. The words placed in inverted commas are a quotation from the Koran, Surah Maryam, v. 27, where it is said :

Lie U15^o LJ i Lxijj ta>^ ^jo nil u-jo! t_jLu.Kj| r^3

' Make mention of Idris in the for he was truthful and a Book ; prophet, and we raised him up to a high place.' The last words, of course, refer to his translation to Heaven. See Al-Baidawi, Anivdr at-Tanzil, &c. (ed. Fleischer), i. p. 0Ar.

that called Idris the i. Eutychius says Enoch was by Arabs (Annates, p. 30). Ibn al-Athir that Enoch the son of is the same as Idris the says (j-jJlj*), Jared, that he was the first of the and the first to write prophet ; prophets, and to study the stars and to that the learned Greeks Jl call him calculate; ( cj~ili ? 'Lie) Hermes the Wise, and hold him to be great; that he exhorted the people to repentance, and that God raised him up when he was 365 years old according to the Pentateuch (Al-Kdmil, i. p. Pr). As-Suyuti says that Enoch, Hermes, and

Idris are the i. same person (Husn al-Miihdjarah, p. iv). Haji Khalfah says that Idris, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, was the originator of all the learning that existed before the flood *.! Uil 'LAxll^S Jjs ^J e-^Xe c,l9j_ll J^i e^k ^11 ^jixl! A^- and that he is the same as Hermes, and is called the Chief Hermes (l^J^l ^y,) 190 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

make pilgrimages to the two great pyramids, and say that Hermes is buried in of 1 one them, and Agathodaemon [in the other]. The to 2 Sabaeans come the pyramids from Harran, on pilgrimage . There is not the the earth a on face of structure erected by the hand [of man], stone than these two 3 are the upon stone, higher pyramids , which tombs of Hermes and Agathodaemon. It is said that the area covered by each of the two is twelve feddans 4 in great pyramids ; and each of them there is a well, the site of which is not known.

Monastery of the Vinedresser.

Near this place there is a monastery, known as the Monastery of Fol. 65 a the Vinedresser, but called by the heretics the Monastery of the Dogs.

and the Threefold in Grace and that he was the first to (lsjJl> t^ukU) ; erect buildings, and was himself the constructor of the pyramids; see Lex.Bibliogr. ed. Fluegel, i. p. 63. 1 Nothing is known from Greek or Latin sources with regard to Agathodaemon except that he designed maps for Ptolemy's Geography, and therefore probably lived at Alexandria in the middle of the second century of our era; but the Arabs have more to say about him, since they claimed to possess treatises by him on

amulets and on alchemy (Haji Khalfah, iii. p. 391, vi. p. 51), and identified him

with Seth i. cf. the sources in the last two (ibid. p. 65 ; quoted notes). (A. J. B.) 2 As-Suyuti adds that they offer sacrifices and incense there. 3 The present height of the great pyramid is about 451 ft., but the original

height was 480 ft. 9 in., which is nearly 20 ft. higher than the tower of Strassburg the loftiest in St. Peter's at cathedral, building Europe ; Rome being 429 ft., and St. Paul's in London 404 ft. high. The second pyramid is not much smaller the first. than The third pyramid, however, is considerably less, and was therefore less famous than the other two; not to mention the still smaller pyramidal structures the which make up group at Al-Jizah. (A. J. B.) 4 This is singularly accurate as regards the great pyramid, the present area of which is i2f acres, the former 13I. The pyramid of Chephren, however, is

smaller, covering now about iof acres, and formerly about n|. (A. J. B.) THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. 191

There is also a third pyramid, besides the two former, the base of which 1 is built of hard granite of variegated colour . is near the on the western side and its The monastery pyramids, ; 2 church is called the church of Timothy the monk, a native of Memphis, whose body is buried in it. His intercession was powerful in this church, so that those who visited it and prayed to God in the of their and if one were desirous power faith, gained requests ; any of entering upon some undertaking, and asked God to guide him according to that which was best, God revealed to him in a dream the advantages which would result from his undertaking, or else warned him not to enter upon it. This is attested by the Book of the Histories of the Councils. The Western Mountains.

At the foot of the mountain-range there is a town called 3 Mastayah . At the foot of the mountains in [the province of] Al-

' 1 call this ' stone and Herodotus and Pliny granite Ethiopian ; Diodorus ' black stone ' while the Arab the colour of the Strabo ; writers, from granite, name the pyramid the red pyramid. 'Abd al-Latif says :

5 Jjj-^JI lsiul'i ii,lsxs: . &J>J s*~i ^L^w\ .*.^1 l^ - jjL^all f C^J^ J ^4-* u^-^ blj

' third is less than the other two about a but it is The pyramid by quarter ; built of stones of red granite, which is spotted, and of extreme hardness, so that iron makes no impression upon it except after a long time.' (Mukhtasar, p. 92.)

(A. j. B.) 2 This must be the of ancient Misr a name martyr Timothy (djjiH j-**), given to Memphis by Arab writers, who is commemorated on Ba'unah 21 = June 15; see Synaxarium at that day. He was a soldier in the Roman army when the persecution of Diocletian broke out, and for proclaiming Christ before Arianus, the governor of the Thebaid, he was repeatedly tortured and at last beheaded. Such, at least, is the account given. 3 I transcribe this name conjecturally as Mastayah because De Sacy names a town called Mestayah in the province of Al-Gharbiyah. A few lines further our writes iib Mastatah down copyist , (?). 192 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Jizah there are fifty monasteries, flourishing and populous, which have

been ruined and burnt by the heretics : [that is to say] at the hands of the Berbers of Western Africa, who do not know the truth, or obey the law, or distinguish between right and wrong. This western range of mountains is united with the mountains on the western bank of the Nile, but then branches off from them, until, after passing by Barca and the whole sea coast of northern Africa, it reaches the land of Baraghwatah 1 and the shores of the Sea of Dark- ness. In this western mountain-range is the city called Mastayah,

to which [in former days] they used to bring the dead bodies of the with all their and treasures and the number kings, money ; greatest of treasure-hunters haunt the environs of this city, which they call Dar Manuwil.

Monastery of Ash-Shamd .

2 Fol. 65 b Munyat ash-Shammas [or Munyah of the Deacon], namely, of Paphnutius, the novice, is to the west of Tamwaih.

' 3 The monastery called Monastery of Ash-Shamd .'

1 See note on fol. 49 a, where the name is incorrectly written Ibn Ghawatah.

is a of the tribe of See Ibn Khaldun (vi. p. -n), where there mention Baraghwatah and their native country in north-west Africa. 2 This place is said by Yakut to be in the province of Al-Jizah, and to be also called Dair ash-Shamd or ' Monastery of the Candle.' Compare the name

' Kasr ash-Shama' and its derivation from The supposed y^HJtXl , Egypt/ revenue-lists of a. d. 1375 also name the place as existing in the province of There were two of the name in the same but there is Al-Jizah. places province ; now only one Mit Shammas, which is in the district of Badrashain, in the province of with a in of See f.v Al-Jizah, population 1885 883. Yakut, Mushtarik, p. ; Rec. de V Egypte, ii. p. 221. The monastery of Ash-Shama must have stood close to Munyat ash-Shammas.

3 ' Yakut says that this was an ancient monastery, held in reverence among the Christians, in the province of Al-Jizah in Egypt. Between this monastery and Al-Fustat there is a distance of three as the Nile and the parasangs, you go up ; throne of the patriarch is in this monastery, and here he resides as long as he is in

the neighbourhood of Misr.' {Geogr. Wort. ii. p. ivr.) MONASTERY OF ASH-SHAMA\ 193

' 1 is called the of Devils for This monastery also Monastery the ,' the following reason. In the days of [the caliph] Al-Mustansir, during the years of dearth, the monks deserted this building, which remained uncared for, so that cattle used to feed in it. Moreover certain figures used to issue forth from the monastery, and used to ride upon horseback from nightfall to morning, and enter a certain ruined village. 2 Thus the monastery received that name. Paphnutius went and lived in this monastery alone, to take care of it. It was a small domed structure, and it was restored at the expense of the officials, until it assumed the form in which it is now. Paphnutius had visited the saint and 3 and lived with him for a Onuphrius, pilgrim , time; for whenever Paphnutius heard of a saint, he went to see him and received his and he was with Saint at the time blessing ; Onuphrius 4 of his death . There was at the dwelling of the latter a single so in his heart that he fruit-bearing palm-tree ; Paphnutius thought would live there in the place of Onuphrius. But God sent a violent wind, which lasted long and blew down that palm-tree, from which used to feed himself his lifetime filled with Onuphrius during ; and up sand the well of water from which he drank. So Paphnutius went elsewhere, and every one who saw his form, thought that he was a disciple [of Onuphrius], although it was not so. Afterwards he became a dis-

1 mentions a of this near Al-Mausil in Yakut monastery name Mesopotamia ; see Geogr. Wort. ii. p. ivr. 2 This is a famous anchorite of the fourth but not the Egyptian century ; bishop commemorated by the Roman church on Sept. 11. See Palladius, Hist.

Laus. f. Cat. f. Acta p. 125; Apophthegmata Pfltrum, p. 3 7 7 ; Zoega, p. 308 ; SS. His festival is kept by the Copts on Amshir 15 = Feb. 9; see Synaxarium r at that The is the of in and day. name n<5d)rtOT |" (' man God ') Memphitic, nA-YlrtOTTe in Sahidic. (A. J. B.)

' 3 ' Abu Nafar or St. Onuphrius is always called the Wanderer in the titles of

Coptic paintings. (A. J. B.) 4 The visit of Paphnutius to Onuphrius is described in the Synaxarium at Ba'unah 16.

Co [II. 7.] ' 194 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

of Saint 1 in the then he ciple Macarius the Great, Wadi Habib ; and went to the monastery of Ash-Shama\ This monastery contains his Fol. 66 a body. The church in this monastery has three altars: the middle altar named after Saint the northern altar after Saint Anthony ; 2 Sinuthius and the southern after the church is ; Paphnutius ; and named after Saint Sinuthius. The liturgy is celebrated at the altar named after Saint Paphnutius, in the middle of the Fast of the Forty It was in that he died and [Days], every year. [this monastery] ;

according to his biography, he died on the 15th of Amshir (Feb. 9). This monastery was restored in the year 66 J of the Righteous

1 Macarius the Great is distinguished by the title of 'the Egyptian' from ' ' ' Macarius of Alexandria or of the City.' He is, perhaps, the most highly reputed of the monks of the Nitrian desert, and the best-known monastery there

' still bears his name. He has left fifty homilies and a volume on Christian Perfection, which places him in the first rank among the writers on practical

Christianity' (Sharpe's History of Egypt, ii. p. 289. See also Sozomen H. E. ed.

bk. III. c. vol. ii. is said to have retired to the desert Hussey, 14 ; p. 289). He in a. d. in a. d. 330, and to have died there 390. (A. J. B.) 2 Abu Shanudah, in Coptic ajertcnfTe or cyGttOnf^, and, in the Grae- cizing form found in Coptic MSS., CIItOTOIOC, Sinuthius, is the name of the celebrated monk who founded the White Monastery; see below, fol. 82 b. He was the son of a peasant and was born at Shenalolet, which has been identified with Shandawil, to the north-east of Ikhmim. He served in boyhood as a shepherd,

and then came under the tuition of his uncle Apa. Pjol (&.YI&. TTXUoX = Lil

who trained him in the monastic life. Sinuthius is said to have been Jjs*.), present with St. Cyril of Alexandria at the council held to condemn Nestorius. The death of Sinuthius is commemorated on Abib 7= July 2, and is said to have taken place in the very year of the Council of Chalcedon, viz. a. d. 451. The discourses delivered by this saint were carefully preserved, and many attributed to him are extant at the present day. It is said that a copy of one of them was laid upon the tomb of St. Peter at Rome, and that the voice of the Prince of the

' Apostles declared that Sinuthius was the fourteenth Apostle, as Paul was the thirteenth.' See at Abib Cat. Synaxarium 7 ; Zoega, pp. 375-502 ; Amelineau,

' Vie de Schnoudi and Monuments pour servir a Vhistoire de I Eglise Chre't. (A.J. B.) MONASTERY OF ASH-SHAMA\ 195

to the stone on which its date is Martyrs (a. D. 951), according inscribed over the door of the keep. In this monastery was the body of Saint Paphnutius, who was the disciple of Saint Macarius the Great a coffin 1 above in the Wadi Habib, [lying] on a bed of leather within the surface of the ground. It is said that the body was stolen by Husain, son of the caliph Al-Hafiz, by means of certain Arabs. The monastery fell into decay a second time, and was restored by Anba Gabriel, the seventieth patriarch, known as Abu VUla Said ibn Tarik, in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz. It is a famous monastery, and contains many monks. In front of it there is a large keep, also handsome which is entered from the church ; and there are manzaraJis in it. It possesses a garden, and land, and houses at Munyat ash-Shammas. bought by the tribe of Bani Surus from the Pol. 66 b ancestors of the Shaikh Mustafa '1-Mulk Abu Saflf Yakub ibn Jirjis, who were natives of Damirah 2 in the north of , [the province of] Al-Gharbiyah. This monastery was under the see of Memphis and Tamwaih : 3 it it is the chrism and it but became patriarchal. To brought ,

1 ii. a Quatremere {Mem. i. pp. 160- 161) refers to the Ada SS. 15 for statement of St. Antoninus that he saw at Clysma several coffins of wood, enclosing the remains of various anchorites, and among them probably the relics of St. John the Dwarf and St. Sisoi. In Coptic Churches, i. p. 304, I have noted the existence at this of coffins full of relics at Dair Abu Makar day wooden ; and, curiously enough, when the Pere Sicard visited the monastery of St. Macarius he saw four of such coffins, one of which, the monks said, enclosed the body of John the Dwarf.

(A. J. B.) 2 The now included in the district of Sharbin in the Coptic "f~

Ge'ogr. p. 118. 3 miriln the and denotes ' chrism." The Arabic (^jj^*) transcribes Greek (ivpov, The chrism was originally consecrated at Alexandria, but about a. d. 390 the place was changed to the monastery of St. Macarius in the Nitrian desert; see Coptic Churches, ii. pp. 333-334. This passage of Abu Salih is well illustrated by Renaudot {Hist. Pair. pp. 354-355), who relates that, during the great famine in

C c 2 196 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. is consecrated there. The roads are dangerous, and this course was found necessary. Anba Mennas, the sixty-first patriarch, built an altar named after Saint Mark, at Mahallah Daniyal, where the lived and the chrism was it for fear of the patriarchs ; placed upon dangers of the roads, from the time of the dearth at the beginning of the caliphate of Al-Mu'izz in Egypt.

Other Churches of the Province of Al-Jizah.

Munyat ash-Shammas *. In this district there is one church. The district called As-Saraf lies to the west of the monastery of Ash-Shama\ and here resided Anba John ibn Abu Ghalib, the seventy-third patriarch, who occupied the see for twenty-eight years. To the west also of the monastery of Ash-Shama' there is a church named after the glorious martyr Theodore. 2 Damuh . Here is the church of Cosmas and Damian, their brethren and their mother, which was restored by the Shaikh Abu Sa'id, the scribe, who was a member of the Diwan al-Mukatabat. Near it there

the time of the caliph Al-Mu'izz, great numbers perished and many episcopal sees vacant and that the himself was forced to remain in Lower were ; patriarch Egypt, and was supported with his followers by a wealthy lady at a village called

Mahallah Daniel. (A. J. B.) 1 This is one of the repetitions which prove the want of plan of the author, or of his see fol. b. the carelessness copyist ; above, 46 2 Our author seems to imply that this place is in the province of Al-Jizah, and Al-Makrizi, who calls the place Damuh as-Saba, and names the church of Saints Cosmas and Damian as well as the synagogue there, actually states that it is in that province. 'Abd al-Latif also states that Damuh was in the province, and near the town of Al-Jizah. At the present day there is a Damuh as-Saba in the district of Dakarnas in the province of Ad-Dakahliyah. Could our author, 'Abd al-Latif and Al-Makrizi', who are not always good geographers, have made a mistake ? Could the mistake have arisen from the similarity of the names Damuh and Tamwaih which is next named ? The latter place is sometimes called Tamuh. See also Quatremere, Mem. i. pp. 137-138. MONASTERY AND CHURCHES OF TAMWAIH. 197 is a garden containing a well with a water-wheel, upon the high road. have in this district a 1 enclosed a Fol. a The Jews synagogue , by wall, 67 within which are lodgings for them, and a garden in which are trees and palms, and a circular well with a water-wheel. Here disputes took place between the sects of Rabbanites and Karaites concerning the lighting of lamps. It is said that the prophet Moses, in the days 2 of Pharaoh, visited this place, and prayed in it, and slept in it .

Monastery and CJiurcJies of Tamwaih.

3 Tamwaih. This is to Hulwan lies place opposite , which on the eastern bank. The monastery which takes its name from Tamwaih 4 is described in the Book of the Monasteries of Ash-Shabushti . It is surrounded by an enclosing wall. Its church is named after Saint 5 Mercurius and overlooks the to which it is close. , river, Contiguous to the there is a entered from the church and in its monastery keep, ; upper story there are fine manzaraJis. The monastery commands views of the gardens and trees and cultivated lands and vineyards with trellises. It is inhabited by many monks. This monastery was restored by the Shaikh Abu '1-Yaman Wazir, metwalli of the Diwan of Lower Egypt, and by the Shaikh Abu '1-Mansur, his son, in the caliphate of Al-Amir, and the vizierate of Al-Afdal Shahanshah. The latter used to alight at this monastery,

1 Al-Makrizi says that this had been a church. 2 'Abd al-Latif states that lived at in Moses Damuh the province of Al-Jizah ; see Al-Mukktasar, ed. White, p. 1 16. 3 More accurately, Tamwaih lies about five miles lower down the river -than Hulwan, which is to the south-east of Tamwaih, on the opposite bank. 4 The passage of Ash-Shabushti is quoted by Al-Makrizi in his article on the

of Tamwaih cf. Wort. ii. tvf. Both of monastery (vjjs j>j); Yakut, Geogr. p. these writers quote verses by lbn Abi 'Asim al-Misri, which speak of the pleasures of drinking wine at this monastery. 5 Tamwaih itself is often omitted in maps, but a monastery of Abu 's-Saifain, i.e. St. Mercurius, is marked on Nordcn's Plate XXVIII, nearly facing Hulwan and the river. overlooking (A. J. B.) 198 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

and time and and he laid spend some there, lounging sauntering ; out a near and in it trees of all and garden it, planted sorts, palms ; and wells over which he water-wheels and he surrounded dug placed ; Fol. 67 b the garden with a strong hedge. The annual rent which was received from this monastery into the public treasury amounted to ten dinars. Afterwards this rent was stopped, and with the money oil-presses were built within the enclosure of the monastery, complete in all their parts. The monastery possessed forty-seven feddans of land, which were appropriated by the Ghuzz and Kurds and the rest, in the reign of An-Nasir Yusuf ibn Ayyub, the Kurd. In the church lies the of 1 the of this monas- body Paphnutius , superior and his festival is on the of Amshir. The tery ; kept 15th monastery contains a painting of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary. Al-Afdal took pleasure in sitting in his place in the upper story of the building. The Shaikh Abu l-Yaman, who has already been mentioned, provided for this church, at his own expense, vessels of solid silver. He a 2 and a and a 3 and a and provided paten , chalice, spoon , censer, a cross, and a splendid veil of silk. In this district there is also the large and beautifully planned church of the glorious saint and champion Saint George. 4 There is also a church named after the female martyr Mahrabil .

1 We were told above that the relics of St. Paphnutius had been in the c of Ash-Shama but that were stolen thence son of monastery , they by Husain, Al-Hafiz. Can they subsequently have found their way to Tamwaih ? 2 The curious enlargement of the denotation of the word sintyah (l^") is remarked upon by De Goeje, in his note on Ibn Hankal, p. rtM, where he points out that from signifying a china (Chinese) plate or dish, it grew to denote a plate or dish of material so that a dish had to be as any ; porcelain distinguished i.u~e or For the use of the names of church vessels and l yJ\ i^yo. {j^> jr furniture at the present day, see Coptic Churches, ii. p. 37 ff. (A. J. B.) 3 It is well known that the sacramental elements are administered in the

Coptic church together in a spoon, as in the Greek church. The spoon is used in the also papal Mass. (A. J. B.) 4 So in the MS. I can only conjecture that the name may be a clerical error MEMPHIS. 199

And the church of Aba Bimah. And a church named after the angel Michael. And a church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin.

Memphis.

1 Memphis . Baisur, son of Ham, son of Noah, settled here, when he was 780 years old, with thirty of his sons and family, and therefore the was called Manafah 2 which means His sons were place , 'thirty.' Mizraim and Farik and Bah and Mali. The following were the sons Fol. 68 a

' of Mizraim : Kift the of whose name is Come not ; Ushmun, meaning 3 4 hither !' and Atrib. At this place there is a great image of granite, called Bii 'l-Hul, thrown down upon its side. Afterwards Manafah was established as the capital of the Pharaohs. in called Harmis When Baisur died he was buried here, a place Abu ; and he was the first to be buried in the land of Egypt. The Nile gradually changed its bed in that direction. Other writers say that Memphis was built by Mizraim for his son who was called Barim others that this was built Kift, ; and say city by Manfaus, the son of 'Adim, who made it thirty miles long and twenty miles broad, and erected around it thirty towers, each tower

for Maharati, a girl whose martyrdom is commemorated on Tubah 14 = Jan. 9;

see Amelineau, Actes des MM. p. 67. 1 Memphis did not cease to exist in name or to be the see of a bishop till

after the Arab see 1 1 6 ff. long conquest ; Abd al-Latif, p. ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat,

i. p. \rf ff. 2 Yakut, who gives the same derivation, states the Coptic form as Mafah

(isL), which corresponds to the Thebaic JL*_

JUL^.Tl. (Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 667.) 3 The Coptic cyjuio'* ,rt. 4 I. e. Memphis. The image must be the great statue of Rameses II, which, after lying as it fell for so many centuries, has now been set upright by the English engineers under the command of Major Plunkett. The name Bu '1-Hul ' ' ' ' ( or Father of i. e. Terrific or is more 'J^ll ji\), Terror,' Gigantic,' commonly to the see fol. 68 b. given Sphinx ; (A. J. B.) *oo CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

a in the of son of Ar'u or it containing bath, days Sana', ; that was built of 1 by Pharaoh, surnamed the 'Lover his Mother ,' who was king of the Pharaohs. the Truthful constructed a Nilometer at Munaif 2 Joseph large ; and he was the first who measured the Nile in Egypt by the cubit.

At Memphis there are wonders : buildings, images, tombs, treasures, that cannot be numbered. There is here a house of green granite, hard, variegated in colour, all in one piece, square, with a roof of the same piece. The church near to this is spread with mats. Fol. 68 b At Memphis there is a church which has been restored at a place which is said to be the place where Moses lay in ambush for the Egyptian and killed him, as it is related in his history. Every [square] cubit of the land here used to fetch a price of a hundred dinars. Near the town are the pyramids, three in number. The height of the great pyramid is four hundred cubits. The pyramids were the landmarks and the dwelling-places built by Asghusa, the greatest of all the kings of the earth, and by Arghash, the brother of Shaddad, and by Shaddad, c son of 'Ad, and Malik, son of Ad, and Farmashat, brother of 'Ad, whose ancestor was the king Arzakusha. He built here eight hundred courses, and then died. In these high towers, which are the two great landmarks, [these kings] placed their treasures and their tombs. The riches contained in one of them were extracted by one of the emperors of the or the Great and he extracted after Romans, named Severus, ; [it], four hundred courses, during his whole reign, until he died, in the time 3 of the author of the treatise .

Near these pyramids is the great image of granite [called] the 4 Terrific sunk in the sand to its middle. , up

1 This is, of course, a confused reference to Ptolemy Philometor, whom

Eutychius also calls Muhibb Ummihi. (A. J. B.) 2 Memphis. 3 This passage appears to be incomplete or corrupt. 4 e. called '1-Hul see last It was held I. the Sphinx, generally Abu ; page. by the Arabs to be a talisman, the purpose of which was to prevent the sands from encroaching upon the inhabited districts. Stories were told of its having been CHURCHES OF BUS?R BANA AND OTHER PLACES. 2d

After this we will speak of the Southern Provinces of the land of Egypt.

Churches of Busir Band and other places.

1 Busir Bana . This town is named after a sorcerer, called Busir, Fol. 60 a who lived there, for which reason it was named after him. In this town is the large church which was entirely built of hard stone, and is named after the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary; it stands within fortress this in ancient times the of city. The church was erected ; but as time passed by, and the kings stood in need of the stone of it the of it was carried and which was composed, greater part away ; the church is now dismantled, although its architectural features are still visible. It stands near the prison of Joseph the Truthful, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, the Friend [of God] upon them be peace ! In the district of Bana there is a church named after the great Saint George. Munyat al-Ka'id. Here there is a church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary, which was restored by the Shaikh Mufaddal ibn as-Salih, a friend of the vizier Abu '1-Faraj ibn Killis, in the caliphate of Al- Hakim. He also restored a church on the banks of the blessed Nile, which stood for a time, but then the river inundated it, and washed it away, so that no trace of it remained. Wana Busir. Here there is a church named after the great martyr Saint Mercurius and a church of the the Pure ; Lady, Virgin Mary ; and a church of the Saint and a church of the holy martyr George ; Michael and a church of the Saint 2 whose great angel ; martyr John , pure body lies within it.

wilfully mutilated, which diminished its talismanic power. See Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. i rr. It is well known that the Sphinx is hewn out of the living rock, which is limestone, not granite. (A. J. B.) 1 The following passage is repeated from fol. 17 b f. Busir Bana and Bana are again wrongly placed in Southern or Upper Egypt. 2 seems to be a clerical error for see fol. 1 8 a. \J^>js?- ^jIsl* ; above,

d d [II. 7.] 202 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Pol. 69 b Idrijah, one of the villages of Bush. Here there is a church named after Saint George. Tansa. Here there is a church named after Nahadah and a church ; after the Mercurius a after Gabriel named martyr ; and church named the a church named after the Pure angel ; and Lady, the Virgin.

The Fayy/im.

1 Madinat al-Fayyum and its province. Al-Fayyum was the name of one of the sons of Kift, son of Mizraim, who built this city for a daughter of his, who had offended, so that he banished her thither. Al-Fayyum existed before the time of Joseph, son of Jacob, son of

Abraham, the Friend [of God] upon them be peace ! but it fell into ruin and the Truthful restored and ; Joseph it, constructed the Nilometers, and built Al-Fayyum, and Hajar al-Lahun, which was built with wisdom, and founded with strength, and help that came from God, and was executed by the inspiration of God to whom

be praise ! Joseph also dug the canal of Al-Manhi, and cultivated the land of Egypt. The number of village-districts in [the Fayyum] amounted to 360, which is the number of the days of the year, each to a and the revenue from village corresponding day ; each district amounted to a thousand dinars. The lands of this province are irrigated by [a rise of the river amounting to] twelve cubits, but they are not overwhelmed by a rise of eighteen cubits, which is a great wonder. There is here common land which is not the property of any one, but all men have a right to demand a share of it accord- to their circumstances and the land consists of ing ; common seventy different sorts. The revenue in the days of Kaffir al-Ustadh, emir of Egypt, known as Kafur al-Ikhshidi, under the dynasty of the Abba- Fol. 70 a sides, when the province was administered by Ibn Tarkhan, in the year of the Arabs d. amounted to dinars and this is 355 (a. 966), 620,000 ; as much as the revenue of Ar-Ramlah, Tiberias, and Damascus. In this province there were thirty-five monasteries. The bishop,

1 This passage is repeated from fol. 18 a f. THE FAYYUM. 20 .

under the patriarchate of Anba Theodore, the forty-fifth in the succes- was named Abraham and the land-tax into the sion, ; paid public treasury upon the cultivated lands belonging to these monasteries amounted to 500 dinars. According to the Book of the Conquest of Egypt by 'Amr ibn al- 'Asi, it is said that the Fayyum was also called the Waste Land, and was an outlet for the waters of so superfluous Upper Egypt ; Joseph the Truthful carried them off by digging the canal, to receive the water of the Nile, which then began to flow into it. The age of Joseph was thirty years in the reign of Ar-Rayyan, son of Al-Walid, son of Dauma', after his interpretation of the dream which the king saw. When Joseph interpreted this dream, the king gave him a royal robe, and the signet-ring of the kingdom from his hand, and entrusted him with the administration of the kingdom, and was distinguished from him only by ascending the throne. When Joseph dug the canal and admitted the water into it, it flowed from Ras al-Manhi until it reached Al-Lahun, through a break in which it flowed into the Fayyum, which it irrigated. The canal contained a great mass of water, but was the work of no more than ninety days. When the king and his Pol. 70 b

' l ' viziers saw said : This is the work of a thousand it, they days ; and so it was called Al-Fayyum. And Joseph made the streams of two sorts, streams that ran down for the raised grounds, and streams that ran up for the depressed places, at certain times and hours of the night and and he framed so that no could day ; meters, man take more water than his due.

The first built in the was Shanah 2 where city by Joseph Fayyum , the daughter of Pharaoh lived. Afterwards he measured the land and the water, and from him the science of geometry was first learnt. Joseph was the first who measured the Nile in Egypt by the cubit, and made a Nilometer at Memphis. Afterwards the old woman

1 Alf Yiim, according to the present Egyptian pronunciation. 2 So also Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. >rr, where he also gives a second form Shananah.

d (1 2 204 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Daluk 1 founded a Nilometer at Ansina 2 and a Nilometer at Ikhmim 3 , ; c 4 and 'Abd al- Aziz ibn Marvvan set up a Nilometer at Hulwan . In later times the province of the Fayyum was settled as a fief upon the and in the of Yusuf ibn the and so Ghuzz Kurds, reign Ayyub, Kurd ; it remained until the end of the year 573 (a. d. i 178), when its revenues were 133,274 dinars. Then it was settled upon Buri. the brother [of Yusuf ibn Ayyub], and his followers, in the year 576 (a.d. 1180), when its revenues were 100,046 dinars. Then it was settled upon Taki ad-Din 'Umar ibn Shahanshah, and the son of his sister, in the year already mentioned, when its revenues were of the amount given above. 5 In Madinat al-Fayyiim at present there is the church of the glorious Fol. 71a angel Michael, which is exceedingly large, and contains certain pillars, large and high, so perfect that few more perfect have ever been seen. This church stands near that gate of the city which is called the gate of Sums. There is also a church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary, outside the and there is a church of the restored city ; martyr Mercurius, by the Shaikh Abu Zakari.

1 Generally called i5^b . She was said to have been queen of Egypt in her own right in remote antiquity. 2 The ancient Antinoe or Antinoupolis, founded by the emperor Hadrian in memory of Antinous. In Coptic it is called

site of this city now stands the village of Shaikh 'Abadah, included in the district of Mallawi, in the province of Asyut, and having in 1885 a population of 1,179.

See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. r*\; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. r.t; Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 48-51. 3 The Greek Chemmis or Panopolis, and the Coptic OjJUUIt- It is now in the district of Suhaj, and had in 1885 a population of 18,792. It was formerly famous for its ancient temple, which was reckoned among the wonders of Egypt,

but of which few remains now exist. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. no; Al-Idiisi

i. ri and rrl Husn (ed. Rome) [p. 48]; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, pp. ; As-Suyuti,

i. r* al-Muhddarah, p. ; Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 18-22. 4 See above, fol. 52 a ff. 5 This passage is quoted by Quatremere, Mem. i. p. 411. MONASTERY OF AN-NAKLUN. 205

There is also a church of the Melkites in the quarter of the Armenians.

Monastery of An-Naklun. The monastery called the monastery of An-Naklun x lies to the east 2 3 of the district called Nawasa . This monastery contains a church named after the angel Michael, in which there is a pillar of marble, as if from it and also which sweats water were flowing ; possesses a large keep, which overlooks a mountain on which there is a boulder. It is said that the foundations of this church were laid on the 13th of Hatur, and that it was consecrated by the Lord Christ and his Apostles on the 18th of Abib. Adjacent to the monastery there is a after the Gabriel 4 enclosed within a wall church named angel , which was erected before the church on the 13th of Amshir and was finished in this short time and the of the church was on ; building begun the- 26th of the same month, and finished on the 13th of Ba'iinah, on the 20th of which month it was consecrated. It is said that the mountain called An-Naklun is that which contained the place where Jacob, son of son of the and and Isaac, Abraham, enjoyed shade, worshipped ; sacrifices were offered to God there in the days of Joseph, the son Pol. 71 b

1 The Coptic rtGKXcoite. This monastery was also called in Coptic and sometimes in Arabic of JULOrt^-CTHpIOIt JlXricge, ^J& j, both ' ' ' which names signify Monastery of the Log or Beam.' It was situated to the south-west of Madinat al-Fayyum, near the modern Gharak, and has now been swallowed up by the sands, like the other villages of that district. AI-Makrizi gives an account of the monastery of An-Naklun. See also Amelineau, Ge'ogr.

pp. 133 and 273. (A. J. B.) 2 Yakut mentions a place of this name, which was, however, in the province of Samannud, and still exists; see his Geogr. Wort. iv. p. ait, and Rec. de I'Egypte, ii. p. 264.

3 ' ' It is related that Aour or Aura (see a few lines below), bishop of the Fayyum, was the founder of the monastery of An-Naklun early in the fourth and his translated is century ; history from the Arabic, to be found in

M. Ame'lineau's Contes el Rom. de I'figypte Chre't. p. 109 ff. 4 This church is mentioned in the last-named work, p. 122. 206 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGFPT.

of Jacob, when Joseph superintended the building of the Fayyum and the Hajar al-Lahun. The church in the mountains of An-Naklun was consecrated, in the episcopate of Anba Isaac, by Aura, son of the and of Abrashit 1 the she queen's daughter , magician, whom hid away

from him (?) and from her parents.

2 Monastery of Al-Kalanulu .

The monastery called that of Al-Kalamun. This monastery is visited. It land in several districts of much possesses Upper Egypt ; 3 and at Shubra it owns sixteen feddans. It possesses salt-marshes, from it which annually receives nearly three thousand ardebs [of salt]. Of the dates of the palm-trees it receives a quantity, which are sold every year. There is here a spacious church named after the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary, which was consecrated on the 14th of Hatur. Anba Samuel 4 the and administrator of this , superior monastery, was

1 See AmeTneau, op. cit. 2 The hill of Al-Kalamun, upon which this monastery stood, rises to the south-west of the Fayyum near An-Naklun and near Al-Gharak and the Wadi

but it does not that the name is still to the is Rayan ; appear given place, which now a mere desert. The is described Al-Makrizi but is monastery by ; barely mentioned by Yakut, who merely says that it was in the Fayyum and was widely celebrated. The Coptic name is K

iav f. p. ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 388 (A. J. B.) 3 This passage and part of the following account of the monastery are quoted by Quatremere, i. pp. 474-475. 4 The death of this saint is commemorated on Kihak 8 = Dec. 4. See Synaxariiim at that day. He was the founder of the monastery of Al-Kalamun, and Hatri and Hor are said to have been monks there under him, which would fix his date in the first half of the fourth century. Fourteen monks from An-Naklun are said to have come over to Samuel. He employed his monks in preparing salt from the saline pool (jULA-ttG^JULOY), mentioned by our author below. See Zoega, Cat. pp. 545-546, where quotations from a Coptic encomium on this saint are given. MONASTERY OF AL-KALAMUN. 207

learned man and God revealed to him what would in a ; happen with him and Samuel wrote the future, and spoke ; down what God said to him, and his prophecies were verified in his own time. This monastery is enclosed within a surrounding wall, in which there is a large garden containing palms and olives and vegetables. In the there are four towers and it contains twelve churches. In monastery ; the upper part there is a sentinel's cell in which a monk is stationed, to warn the other monks of the approach of visitors to the monastery, Pol. 72 a while the latter are yet at a distance, whether they be soldiers or emirs or walis and the sentinel strikes the in different ; wooden gong to the rank of the visitors so that the manners, according ; monks may know, when they hear it, who it is that is approaching the monastery, and may prepare what is fitting for him before he arrives. The church of this monastery contains twelve chapels in its upper and lower stories. There is in it a spring of salt water, flowing day and night from it into a wide pool. In the latter there are to be found at intervals fish bulti 1 of which men and which are [the called] , eat, good for food, and black in colour. In winter the water sweetens a little in this and the monks drink from it. pool ; occasionally Outside the monastery there is a cave, in which lives a monk who is named Muhna and he never it or fasts ; quits by night by day. He during the whole week. The monks go to him to receive his blessing. Around his cave there are many fruitful palm-trees. He used to have with him a hundred dinars of but the money ; when Ghuzz and Kurds came to this country, he made a present of the money to the monks, and retained nothing of it. The wild beasts used to come to and not one of them hurt him but so together him, ; they grew tame that he was able to feed them out of his hand. The devils also appeared to him, and stood opposite to him, face to face, but could not reach him.

1 Al-Idrisi that this fish kind says was a round of the same as the 'Afar (.-a-ff), and was also found in the Sea of Tiberias that it had few bones and was ; good to eat, being sometimes of the weight of five pounds. Translated by Jaubert, i. p. 30. 208 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Fol. 72 b The door of this monastery is plated with iron, and is of skilful workmanship. This monk, Muhna, of whom we have been speaking, made, at the beginning of his monastic life, before he shut himself up in the cave on the mountain, a church which was hewn out of the rock, and over it he made cells for the monks. It is said that the father, Anba Samuel, the celebrated administrator of this monastery, used to worship on the at a called 1 to the mountain, place Rayan , opposite monastery. Up to the end of Amshir, in the year 894 of the Righteous Martyrs i the number of monks in this amounted to (A.D. 178), monastery 130 ; and they were virtuous and devout.

Monasteries and Churches at Aflah az-Zaitiin.

The monastery of the glorious martyr Theodore, on the [canal of] 2 Al-Manhi, at Aflah az-Zaitun . This Theodore was a native of the Fayyum, and was martyred in Upper Egypt. His body was carried on a wooden over which his blood flowed and it did not cease chariot, ; to carry him until it reached this district, of which he was a native.

In [this district] there is a church named after him, and containing his besides other churches. are here a body ; many There church of the the Pure a named after the Lady, Virgin Mary ; monastery a church named after the Mercurius a church of apostles ; martyr ; the Gabriel a church named after Saint and the angel ; John ; church 3 of the Saviour .

1 I. e. the Wadi Rayan, still so called, to the south of the Fayyum, and, according to some, on the site of the ancient Lake Moeris. 2 ' More called or ' Olives in commonly simply Az-Zaitun, The ; Coptic cb^niXtUIT". The Acts of the martyr John of Phanijoit have been published M. Am^lineau see du is by ; Un Document copte xii Steele, 1887. The place on the west bank, close to Dalas and Bush Kura, and a little to the north of Bani Suwaif, to the province of which it belongs; and in 1885 it had 1,300 inhabitants, besides

Bedouins. See Wort. ii. Ibn v. t* sixty-two Yakut, Geogr. p. iio; Dukmak, p. ; Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 327-330. This passage of our author is quoted in substance by Quatremere, Mem. pp. 412-413. 3 is As-Sutir of course the Greek (tcottj/j. CHURCHES OF FANU AND NAKAlJFAH. 209

Churches of Fanu and Nakalifah.

1 The district of Fanu and Nakalifah . In these two districts there are several churches. There are to be found here the church of the Fol. 73 a Saint a church of the the Pure glorious George ; Lady, Virgin Mary, restored by the Shaikh Al-Muhadhdhab Abu Ishak Ibrahim ibn Abu

Sahl al-Musharif, who was known as Az-Zakruk ; the church of the Michael the of the Cross in the district of glorious angel ; monastery Fanu, in which the liturgy is celebrated once in the year, on the feast of the Cross and a church of the Saint ; glorious George.

SailaJi.

2 In the district of Sailah there is a monastery named after the Lady, the the to which there is a Pure Virgin, Virgin Mary ; adjacent keep, which has been restored, but not finished, on the public road. The monastery known as the monastery of the Brothers. In this there is a church named after the glorious martyr Saint Mennas. In this lived the of Samannud 3 who was monastery priest John , devout, learned, and humble, and consoled by his learning all those that came to his discourse he afterwards became him and heard ; patriarch of Alexandria.

1 This passage is quoted in substance by Quatremere, Mem. i. p. 413. Nakalifah is still existing, and is included in the district of Sanuras in the province of the Fayyum, with a population in 1885 of 2,664. See Rec. de I'Egypte, ii. are see p. 258. In the fourteenth century revenue-lists both places named; De Sacy, Relation de TEgypte par Abd-AUatif, p. 633. 2 Quoted in Quatremere, Mem. i. p. 413. Sailah was in the Fayyum, to the west of Nakalifah, but is not named in the Rec. de I'Egypte. See Yakut, Geogr.

iii. rr . Ibn v. 1 . Wort. p. ; Dukmak, p. 3 He succeeded Agatho, and was the fortieth patriarch, occupying the see from a.d. 677 to 686.

e e [II. 7-] 2(0 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

* Hajar al-Ldhun,

1 2 al-Lahun . Here is the of Saint Isaac Hajar monastery ; and the church named after the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary. This church is spacious and beautifully planned, skilfully built and designed, and resembles the church in the monastery of Al-Kalamun. In the Pol. 73b [monastery of Saint Isaac] there is also a small church, named after the glorious martyr Saint Isaac. Round this monastery there is a triple wall of stone. It is much visited, and stands on the mountain to the north of Al-Lahun, at the place called Barniyudah. in the mountain-range in the south of the Fayyum.

Churches of Al-BaJinasa and the neighbourhood.

At Al-Bahnasa there are several churches, namely, the church of Saint 3 the church of the church of Saint 4 the Ammon ; Mark; John ;

1 The following passage is quoted in substance by Quatremere, Mem. i. p. 413. The village of Al-Lahun still exists, and in 1885 had a population of 2,416. It stands at the entrance to the Fayyum, where the ancient lock of the canal of Al-Manhi was; and it is included in the district of Tubhar. See Amelineau,

Ge'ogr. p. 232. 2 Saint Isaac of DifiT H~d>pe), m tne province of Al-Gharbiyah, was put to death in the persecution of Diocletian, by order of Arianus, governor of the Thebaid, after horrible tortures. His martyrdom is commemorated on Bashans 6

' =May 1. See Synaxarium at that day; Budge, Martyrdom of Isaac of Tiphre, with Coptic text and translation. 3 Abamun, Abamun, or more correctly Aba Amun or Apa Ammon, is the name of two martyrs, of the time of Diocletian, whose deaths are commemorated respectively on Abib 13 and 27 = July 7 and 21. See Synaxarium at those days;

Amelineau, Actes des MM. p. 103. Quatremere borrows from this passage, Mem. i. at p. 255. Al-Makrizi says that there were once 360 churches Al-Bahnasa, of which the church of Mary alone remained in his time. We shall return to Al- Bahnasa on fol. 74 b. 4 Since Abu Yuhannus is not further identified, and there are several saints named John in the Coptic calendar, it is impossible to say which of them is CHURCHES OF AL-BAHNASA AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 211 church of the Saint and the church of glorious martyr George ; the glorious martyr Mercurius. At Bahumalis 1 there are several churches, namely, the church of the and a second church of the Gabriel a church angel Gabriel, angel ; of the a church of the 2 angel Raphael; glorious Saint Sinuthius ; and 3 a church named after Saint Armenius . 4 district of . there a The Kufadah [Here is] church named after the the Pure a church of the Lady, Virgin Mary ; glorious angel Michael a church of the a church of the ; angel Raphael ; glorious Mercurius and the church of the Gabriel. martyr ; glorious angel 5 At is the church of the the church of Abtujah Raphael angel ; the Michael the church of the the and Pure angel ; Lady, Holy Virgin and the church of Dioscorus. Mary ;

intended here and elsewhere. The most popular martyr of this name, however, would seem to be the John who was martyred together with his cousin Simeon, with whom he is commemorated on Abib n=July 5. See their Acts, edited translated and by M. Hyvernat, Actes des MM. de I'Egyple, p. 174 ff. See also

at that and Actes des ff. Synaxarium day ; Amelineau, MM. p. 141 1 I cannot guarantee the form of this name, nor identify the locality. 2 This be the famous monk founder of the White may Sinuthius, Monastery ; or it may be St. Shanudah or Sinuthius the martyr, of Al-Bahnasa, commemorated on Barmahat = see at that 14 April 9 ; Synaxarium day. 3 Abu Harminah is said by Al-Makrizi to have been one of the earliest monks, and very famous among the Christians. Cf. Paris Synaxarium at Ba'unah 8 = June 2. There was a St. Harmanus, a champion of the monophysite doctrine, who is mentioned in the Patriarchal Biographies, Anc. Eonds Arabe

139, p. 167, 1. 1 ff. The Synaxarium translated by Mr. Malan commemorates a Harman, bishop of Ka'u, in Upper Egypt, on Kihak 2=Nov. 28. 4 A little to the east of Al-Bahnasa, and nearer the bank of the river. 5 The Coptic TUOXI, a little to the south-west of Al-Bahnasa, but on the same side of the river. The village is now included within the district of Bani Mazar, in the province of Munyah or Minyah, and had in 1885 a population of 1,000. See Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 517 f. Quatremere refers to this passage,

Mem. i. p. 258. e e 2 212 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 Fol. 74 a Jalfah . Here there is a church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin a church named after Saint Dioscorus a church named after Mary ; ; the saint and son of and a church glorious martyr Victor, Romanus ; 2 named after Bu Talihah . At Bardanuhah 3 there are several churches, namely, the church of Aba Kustul a church of the Michael a church of the ; angel ; angel a church of the Gabriel the church of Raphael ; angel ; Mercurius, the valiant the church of the saint and Saint martyr ; glorious martyr a church named after the valiant and militant George ; martyr Theodore and the of the saint Aimin. ; church 4 Saft Abu Jirja . Here are several churches, namely, a church named after the the Pure the church of Thomas Lady, Virgin Mary ; ; the two churches of the angel Michael and of the angel Gabriel. 5 Al-Kufur . Here there is a church named after the martyr Theodore.

1 The Coptic nxeX&.,. It is now included in the district of Bani Mazar, in the province of Minyah, with a population in 1885 of 647. It is Al- probably the Jalaf, which Yakut says was near Al-Kais, in the district of

Bahnasa. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. i.p; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 150 f.

Quatremere refers to this passage of our author, Mem. i. p. 257. 2 I must admit with Quatremere that I cannot identify this saint, nor even read his name with certainty. 3 Now included in the district of Kalusana, in the province of Minyah, with a population in 1885 of 2,670. It lies on the west bank, a few miles to the south

v. 1 of Al-Bahnasa, and near Al-Kais and Al-Kafur. See Ibn Dukmak, p. ;

Rec. de ii. VEgypte, p. 64. 4 A little to the south-west of Al-Bahnasa, south of Abtiijah and north of Abu in the Jirja. The village is now included in the district of Bani Mazar, province of Minyah, with a population in 1885 of 2,316. There were twelve places named

Saft in See Wort. iii. and vf* Ibn Egypt. Yakut, Geogr. p. iv, Mtishtarik, p. ;

v. a Rec. de I' ii. Dukmak, p. ; Egypte, p. 279. 5 On the west bank, to the south-east of Al-Bahnasa and a little to the north of Kalusana. It is called in Coptic rUK^cb^p, and is now comprised in the district of Kalusana, with a population in 1885 of 798. See Amelineau,

Ge'ogr. p. 276 f. MALLAWt 213

Taha.

Taha al-Madinah x to the of Al-Ushmunain. , belonging province Here there are a church of the the Pure 2 a second Lady, Virgin Mary ; church of the a church of the Gabriel two churches Lady ; angel ; of the two militant Saint and glorious and martyrs, George Mercurius ; a church named after Saint the a church named Mark Evangelist ; after the glorious martyr Stephen, the chief of the deacons.

Saft al-Miihallabi.

3 At Saft al-Muhallabi there is a church named after the glorious Fol. 74 b Michael and after angel ; two churches named the two glorious angels Gabriel and Raphael. Mallawi.

4 At Mallawi [there is a church] named after the valiant martyr Abatir 5 a church of the Mercurius a church of the ; martyr ; glorious

1 On the west bank, a little to the north of Munyah or Minyah Bani Khasib, in the province of which it is now included, being in the district of Kalusana. It is the Coptic TOIf^O. In 1885 it had 1,113 inhabitants. See Al-Idrisi, trans. i. Jaubert, p. 124; Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. on; AmeTineau, Ge'ogr. p. 471 f. Taha is again mentioned by our author on fol. 77 a. 2 Al-Makrizi mentions two churches alone at Taha, viz. those of Mary and the Apostles.

3 Our copyist writes .A^Jh but /"LA-^ll is the form given by Yakut in his

Mitshtarik, p. rn, where he says that the village was in the province of Al- Ushmunain.

4 This is thought to be the place called in Coptic JUL

See f. Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 239 Al-Makrizi names the churches of the Apostles, of St. George, and of St. Michael at Mallawi, but says that the two last were in a ruined state in his time. 5 I conjecturally read Abatir and identify the saint with Apatil, a soldier of the 214 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Saint two churches of the two Gabriel and martyr George ; angels and two churches of the the Pure and Raphael ; Lady, Virgin Mary, of the glorious angel Michael.

Rifah and Udmnhah.

1 2 Rifah and Udrunkah . Here there is a church named after the the Pure a church of the Lady, Virgin Mary ; glorious martyr Victor two churches of the valiant church ; martyr Theodore ; a named after the Saviour a church named after Saint two churches ; John ; named after the two Thomas and Severus and a martyrs ; monastery named after the great saint Sinuthius.

Churches at Al-Bahnasd and the neighbourhood.

3 At in the of there is a church Najaj , province Al-Bahnasa, named after the martyr Saint John.

fort of whose is on Abib i6 = 10 see Babylon, martyrdom commemorated July ;

Amelineau, Actes des MM. p. 97. There is a martyr Abadir commemorated on Tut 28 = see at that Sept. 25 ; Synaxarium day. 1 Our author, or his abbreviator, with his usual want of plan, here takes us up to the neighbourhood of Usyut, from which he immediately afterwards returns. Rifah is a little to the south of Usyut, on the west bank, and was called in Coptic epH-S.6. In 1885 it had a population of 4,119, and is now included within the district and province of Asyut or Usyut. See Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 165. Al- Makrizi names churches and monasteries at Rifah and Udrunkah, but apparently not those mentioned by our author. 2 Also called Durunkah or Derenkah. It lies a little to the south-west of

Usyut, in the district and province of which it is included. It is a little to the north of Rifah, and had 4,629 inhabitants in 1885. In the time of our author and later this was a Christian centre and was still here great ; Coptic spoken in the time of Al-Makrizi. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. ma; Rec. de I'Egypte, ii. p. 99. 3 I cannot identify this place. It would be some distance to the north of Rifah and Udrunkah. CHURCHES AT AL-BAHNASA AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 215

1 Idfak . Here there is a church of the glorious martyr Mercurius. 2 Turfah . Here there is a church named after Bartholomew. 3 As-Sakiyah, called Sakiyah Mahfuz . Here there are five churches, [respectively named after] the martyr Mercurius, Mark, Stephen, Theodore, and the Disciples. Al-Bahnasa. The of this word is of 1 meaning 'place marriage ,' and it was built for the maidens who were the virgin daughters of the Fol. 75 a kings, and were married to the sons of the kings from this city. Near it there is a place where Joseph the Truthful worshipped. 5 There is here a church named after Saint Bartholomew who was , martyred in the oasis of Al-Bahnasa, and whose body is in the church of Karbil there. There is also the church of Theodore,

In this district there are several churches : those of the martyr

1 This place again I cannot identify. 2 This village, formerly in the province of Al-Bahnasa, is now included in the district of Kalusana, in the province of Munyah or Minyah, and had 435 inhabitants in Its name was See f. 1885. Coptic Tep&e. Ame'lineau, Geogr. p. 492 3 ' See Ibn Dukmak, v. p. a . The name Sakiyah means, of course, water- wheel.'

4 I.e. apparently JULi.riCljeXeT, which only approximates to the sound of Bahnasa. 5 The IMS. has Bartau. The Copts and Abyssinians, differing from the Latins and Greeks, agree in holding that St. Bartholomew preached in the Oases.

They generally add, however, that he was martyred on the sea-coast, that is, apparently, on the Egyptian or Nubian shores' See, e. g. The Conflicts of the Apostles, translated from the Ethiopic by Mr. Malan, pp. 76-99. The Synaxarium says at Tut i=Aug. 29:

Jjt) sill *&J1 ^y> *$! J&> jjl disjzA jjl ^loj -A^j u^/Hs J* (J^ e^Uiyi Jl

iLaUl i^>U^)l *^ljfic Ja^I U u-oUjsrI'j Jyixi!

' On this day is commemorated the death of the holy disciple Bartholomew, one of the Twelve. To this apostle it was allotted that he should go to the Oases. So he and Peter travelled thither, and he preached the gospel to the inhabitants of 2i 6 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Abatir 1 the Stephen; ; Bartholomew; Disciples and Apostles; and our Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary. The last church is in. the city [of Al-Bahnasa], and is large and spacious. There are also churches of the glorious angel Michael and of the Gabriel of Istafura 2 the who was also called angel ; martyr, Dog's Face,

the Oases, and called them to the knowledge of God, after wonderful signs and astounding miracles had been shown to them.' After converting the people in the Oases,

bu Alii 3o y lu, yj\ wU ji ^j ^ Uji, ^jjj jsJ\ js. J& ji iji*

nAxsl. Jic dill I jj^Jj i$ ,jl .*lj j;jls? uH.j-^ ^ ^9 **-*l' J****!' , (jl^.^lj ^ *&/**

' Then he went to the on the to those not country sea-coast, who knew God ; and he preached among them and turned them to the knowledge of God, and to faith in the Lord Christ. But Agharbus, the king, heard of him and was wroth with him, and commanded that they should put him in a sack of hair-cloth and fill it with sand and cast him into the sea.'

1 See note above on fol. 74 b. 2 I. e. St. Christopher. The form of the name in the Synaxarium is Akhris- tafarus (^.Ulk-p-l); and it is added

' Whose face was the face of a dog.'

In Zoega, Cat. p. 235, and in Conflicts of Holy Apostles, translated by

Mr. Malan from the Ethiopic, p. 76 ff., the name is said to be Christianos. The

' story is that he was a Cynocephalus,' in Coptic OT^ofl^OOp, who was converted by Saints Andrew and Bartholomew, and accompanied them in their missions in Nubia. He had lived near the city of Barthos, which has been supposed to mean Parthia. Barthos, however, was not far from Elwah, which Mr. Malan says is unknown, but which might be Alwah in Nubia. St. Christopher is commemorated by the Copts on Barmudah 2 = May 28. Cf. Acta SS. at July 25, where a different history of St. Christopher is given. ' ' in The epithet dog-faced is, however, preserved a troparion sung by the Greek church, on the festival of St. Christopher (May 9); although the Meno- d. logion of Basil (a. 984) repudiates the literal acceptance of this epithet, and PLACES IN EGYPT VISITED BY OUR LORD. 217 and was one of those who were with the fathers and pure disciples. This last church is on the canal, outside the city. [There are also Mark of the who has two churches churches of] ; martyr Mercurius, here of Saint who has two churches and of Saint or ; George, ; John Abu Hanna, the martyr. 1 Ashrubah . Here there are two churches of the Cross, and the within the and there one of the Lady, Pure Virgin Mary, city ; is also one dedicated to her without the city. There is also a church of Michael, the glorious angel; a church of the glorious martyr Fol. 75b on the borders of the lake and a church of the Mercurius ; glorious Saint and two churches of the Saint Theodore and George ; glorious ; 2 [churches named after] Saint Paul and Thomas. 3 At Saft Rashin there is a church named after the glorious martyr Theodore the Eastern, which was wrecked by the Ghuzz and Kurds, who turned it into a mosque. There is here also a church of the angel Gabriel, which fell into decay and was restored by a certain official.

Places in Egypt visited by our Lord.

The places which our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory ! visited with the Lady, the Pure Virgin, and with the righteous old man, Joseph the carpenter, in Upper Egypt. The church of al-Kaff 4 named after the the Jabal , Lady, Pure explains it as being metaphorical, and significant of the character of the saint

before his conversion. (A. J. B.) 1 This is named Ibn v., it is place by Dukmak, p. r ; and now included within the district of Bani Mazar, in the province of Minyah, but is a place of no importance. In the fourteenth century it still belonged to the province of Al-Bahnasa, and is named in the revenue-list of a.d. 1375. See De Sacy, Rel. de

Rec. de ii. 22. Vtgypte par Abd-Allatif, p. 685 ; VEgypie, p. 2 This would be St. Paul the first hermit or St. Paul ; of Tamwaih, a monk famous for his austerities, and commemorated on Babah 7 = Oct. 4. 3 A considerable distance to the north of Al-Bahnasa, and to the south of

Bani Suwaif, in the province of which it is now included. Yakut includes it in

the of Al-Bahnasa see . province ; Mushtarik, p. m

4 ' I. e. Mount of the Palm of the Hand/ Our author, at the beginning of f f [IT. 7.] 2i 8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Virgin Mary. This church is hewn out of the mountain-side, and in the rock is the mark of the palm of the hand of the Lord Christ, to

whom be glory ! which was made when he touched the mountain, when it bowed in adoration before him, after he had gone down thither from Syria. He grasped the mountain, when it worshipped before him, and restored it to its with his hand so that the mark of his place ; palm remains impressed upon that mountain to the present day. In the impression of the hand there is a fine perforation, large enough to admit a collyrium-needle, into which the needle is inserted, and, when it is pulled out, brings up a black collyrium which makes an indelible mark.

Above this church there is a church built of stone, and named after Fol. 76 a the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary. Festival is kept here on the 2ist of 1 is the of a Tubah , which day her death, when large congregation assembles. This mountain [of Jabal al-Kafif] is opposite to the district 2 called Al-Bihu on the eastern side of the river. It is also , [but is] 3 the it is also said to be near city of Al-Ushmunain ; and called the 4 Jabal at-Tair . On this mountain there are two stone crosses, of a red colour one of them is a stone and the other a small stone. ; large

fol. 76 a, identifies this mountain with the Jabal at-Tair, which rises opposite to Samallut and Bihu, and to the north of Munyah Bani Khasib. 1 The Death of the Blessed Virgin is commemorated by the Copts on Tubah 2i=Jan. 16, and her Assumption on Misri i6=Aug. 9. 2 This village still exists on the west bank, opposite to the Jabal at-Tair, and is included in the district of Kalusana, in the province of Minyah. In 1885 it

had a of Ibn v. Rec. de ii. population 1,252. See Dukmak, p. f ; I'Egypte, p. 73. 3 Al-Ushmunain is in reality about thirty miles to the south of the Jabal at-Tair.

4 ' ell See Norden's Plate LXXI, where the Tshibel Deiir/ as he spells it, is to be seen at the northernmost point of the Nile, on the eastern bank. On Plate LXXV Norden gives a view of the monastery on the Jabal at-Tair, which is called Dair al-'Adhrd, i.e. 'Monastery of the Virgin,' or, more popularly,

' Dair al-Bakarah, or Monastery of the Pulley.' The latter name is common to several monasteries, which use a pulley to hoist up both provisions and visitors; and one so named is shown on Jabal Abu Faida in Norden's Plate LXXX, a few miles to the north of Manfalut. The Dair al-'Adhrd on Jabal PLACES IN EGYPT VISITED BY OUR LORD. 219

In the city of Al-Ushmunain there is a church of the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary, which is very large, and which Al-Hakim changed into a mosque. On this mountain [of Jabal al-Kaff] there is another church hewn 1 in the rock, and supported by eight columns . Opposite to this church there is a hole of a cubit's breadth in which is white sand, some of which is extracted by all those who put their hands in and take some

of it, and yet it never diminishes in quantity. The hand of a sinner

cannot enter into it, even as far as the tip of the finger. It is said that when the Franks invaded Upper Egypt with their 2 to drive Shirkuh the and his from king , Kurd men away the land of Egypt, they cut out the piece of rock upon which was the mark of the palm of the hand, and took it back with them to Syria, in the year 563 of the Arabs (a.d. i 168). 3 4 The of Bisus which is near Ishnin . It is said monastery , by some

at-Tair seems to be the one described by Curzon in his Monasteries of the Levant, ch. ix (p. in). (A.J. B.) 1 a Curzon gives plan of this church, p. 114, in which he specially remarks on the eight columns. (A. J. B.) 2 Amaury or Almeric, king of Jerusalem from a.d. 1162 to 1173, was induced by bribes to lead his troops to Egypt in the first year of his reign, to assist Shawar against Shirkuh; and again in n 63, when the Latin sovereign entered and Shirkuh Cairo, retreated. Amaury continued to assist the Fatimide caliph and his vizier, until in 11 68 he took a powerful army to Ai-Farama, which he took and sacked. This unscrupulous piece of treachery against his Egyptian allies forced Shawar to implore Nur ad-Din, his former enemy, to assist him against the Franks, and Amaury was driven to retreat. 8 Al-Makrizi calls this the of Isus monastery (^^jI ..p), explaining this ' word as to the Arabic Fasti' or it equivalent (cj-~j) 'Jesus; and is, of course, simply a transcription of the Graeco-Coptic IHCOfC Al-Makrizi relates the same story which is given here of the well by which men foretell the rise of the Nile. Our author seems to take Bisits as the name of a but this place ; error must have arisen from his seeing the monastery mentioned as ^j^.^ ^^> j or &*J i.e. 'A which is after y-j-jL) jii, monastery named Jesus.' (A. J. B.) 4 On the west little bank, a to the north of Al-Bahnasa, but a long way from ff 2 220 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

that this monastery belongs to the province of Al-Ushmunain. Christ visited this place and stayed here. Fol. 76 b I n the monastery there is a church, in the middle of which there is a well of running water. Over this well prayers are said during the rise of the Nile and then the water in the well rises. In every year ; the well there are marks contrived, which show the number of cubits the rise of the Nile and when the water of the well rises reached by ; and stands still at a certain mark, it is known thereby what height the rise of the Nile will reach.

1 Island of Al-Ushmunain . Al-Ushmun was the name of one of the sons of Kift, the son of Mizraim. The town was built by Pharaoh, 2 after it fallen into ruin it was re-built and had by Nebuchadnezzar , king of Babylon. It is said that there was on the highest point of this town a cock, and beneath it a row of dromedaries. When a stranger approached the town the cock crowed, and the dromedaries came out to destroy that stranger. But when our Lord Christ, to whom be glory! came to this town, the cock crowed and the dromedaries to their custom and when the went out, according ; they saw Lord Christ and the Lady, and Joseph the carpenter, they worshipped

Al-Ushmunain. There must have been a confusion on the part of some writers between Ishnin and Al-Ushmunain. Ishnin was formerly in the province of

' Al-Bahnasa, but is now, under the name of Ashnin an-Nasara, or Ashnin of the Christians,' included in the district of Bani Mazar, in the province of Minyah.

In it had a of See Wort. i. tag Rcc. 1885 population 1,260. Yakut, Geogr. p. ;

de VEgypie, ii. p. 22. 1 Also called Ashmunain, Eshmunain, or Oshmunain. Al-Ushmunain is the

It still in the district in the of Coptic CjjJULOTIt- exists of Raudah, province and inhabitants in See fF. Usyut, had 2,312 1885. Amelineau, Geogr. p. 167 ;

Al-Idrisi [p. 47] (ed. Rome); Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. v*r. The term 'island' is given to the district in which Al-Ushmunain stands, because it is surrounded

by water : by the Nile on the east, the Bahr Yusuf or Al-Manhi on the west and south, and a connecting canal on the north. 2 On fol. 23 b and 80 a we are told that it was Belshazzar who restored Al-Ushmunain, after it had been pillaged by Nebuchadnezzar. PLACES IN EGYPT VISITED BY OUR LORD. 221

on the were into stone and their them ; and spot they changed ; number was five.

On this island there are three hundred villages. Our Lord Christ entered [the town] by the eastern gate. Here the dromedaries worshipped him. In the history of Anba Kha'il, the forty-sixth patriarch \ it is said that this is the town which was built by Alexander the Macedonian, 2 ' called it a name which means the Fol. 77 a who Cleopatra , Weeping Woman ;' and it was to this place that Marvvan, the last of the Omeyyad caliphs, he killed on the rock as the old 3 came, and here was ; monk had prophesied, according to the narrative. * * * one of the districts [of Al-Ushmunain]. Here is the body of 4 Saint the There is here an ancient near Macarius, martyr. temple , the southern There are several churches contained in it gate. ; namely, a church called after the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary, which contains of several altars, and marble pillars ; one which has been celebrated in all times, for upon it is the mark of the hand of the Lord. Outside 5 the church there is a tree fruit sebestan Syrian bearing [the called] , which is of a red colour. The tree stands near the ancient temple ;

and when the Lord v/ith the Lady passed by it, it bowed its head in adoration to him. The governor of the town [in later times] wished 6 to cut it but the was under the down ; patriarch Agatho standing

1 See MS. Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 179. 2 See AmeTneau, Gfogr. pp. 170, 226-227. 3 This was a monk who addressed Marvvan on his march through Syria, and foretold to him his defeat and death for which the had his over- ; caliph pillar

thrown, for he was a Stylite, and had him burnt alive. See Anc. Fonds Arabe

i39 P- l6 7> 1- J 3 ff- 4 There are still ancient tombs in the neighbourhood of Al-Ushmunain, but no temple at the present day. 6 The Mukhkhait is a kind of Cordia, and is sometimes called the Assyrian plum. It is of a dark purple colour, and was formerly used in medicine in Europe,

as it still is in the east. 6 The thirty-ninth patriarch of Alexandria. He occupied the see from a.d. to 658 677 (?). See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 172-174. 222 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

tree, and when the woodcutter struck it with his axe, the axe flew back into his face. Thereupon the governor was afraid, and never orders that the tree should be cut down but he again gave ; brought to the patriarch gold out of his treasury, and begged him to accept it, and to spend it on any sort of good work that he might wish. 1 Funkus . There was here a church named after one of the martyrs, I know not whom. 2 Taha . In this town there were in former times 15,000 Christians, but not a Hanif or and there were churches. In the single Jew ; 360 Fol. 77 b caliphate of Marwan al-Ja'di, the last of the Omeyyad caliphs, he sent Miwadd to this town, but they drove him out and forbad him to live them so he returned to and told him of what among ; Marwan, they had done. Thereupon Marwan sent some of his soldiers, who killed a large number of the people, and scattered them, and destroyed all the so that one church was churches ; only left, namely, that named after Saint Mennas, the martyr, for the sparing of which alone it was decreed that 3,000 dinars should be paid. 2,000 dinars, therefore, were collected from the rich men of the city, but 1.000 were wanting, and so one-third of the church was turned into a mosque, which stood before the kaisariyah. 3 Darwat as-Sarabam . Here there is a church of the Lady,

1 The consonants and vowels of this name are alike uncertain. 2 This place has already been mentioned on fol. 74 a. I do not know whether our author means to imply that all these towns and villages were visited by our Lord. 3 Yakut calls it Darwat Al-Makrizi Darut (eyj. !) Sarabam, and Saraban. The latter writer says that it is also called Darwat ash-Sharif. The place lies to the south of Al-Ushmunain and Mallawi, and a little to the north of Ras al- Manhi, the spot at which the Bahr Yusuf or Al-Manhi issues from the Nile. In

it is the latter word an abbreviation of Coptic TGpCJOT C

5,588 inhabitants. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. ov.; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i.

pp. vi and r.o; Amelincau, Geogr. p. 496. PLACES IN EGYPT VISITED BY OUR LORD. 223 the Pure and a church named after the Virgin Mary ; angel Gabriel, 1 which is called Maghtr atk-Thilj . 2 is the district of Sanabu where there Near the last-named place , is a church of the Lady, built of baked bricks. 3 Jabal Ashtar or Halaliyah . Here there is a church named after Bu Nadil 4 the which has fallen into , martyr, decay. 5 Munyah Bani Khasib . This city was founded by a Christian named Ibn Khasib, after whom it was called. He and a number of members of his family lived here, with those who took refuge with him and he built houses set water-wheels. It is said that ; here, and up Munyah Bani Khasib acquired the name of the family after whom it was called, because they were numerous, and possessed wealth, and slaves to serve them. The town was formerly called Munyah Bu Kais. Fol. 78 a It lies on the it contains several western bank ; and churches, namely, two churches of the the Pure a church of the Lady, Virgin Mary ; Saint outside the a church of the glorious George, city ; glorious angel is Michael, who has also another church ; one of these two outside, and the other within the one of the town ; two churches, martyr

1 I.e.' Place where snow has fallen.' 2 Al-Makrizi and Sanabu The was gives Sanabu {y^>) Yakut (^U). place a little to the south of Bibla'u, and close to the Ras al-Manhi. It was famous for the manufacture of excellent horse-cloths. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. hi. p. iov; Al-Makrizi names a monastery, but not a church of the Virgin at Sanabu. 3 I cannot identify this place. 4 This name does not occur in the Synaxarhim. 5 Often called simply Munyah or Minyah. It is now the capital of the province to which it gives its name, and had in 1885 a population of 15,900.

The Coptic form of its name is JULUOItK, or, with the article, TJULCORH. It was also called Munyat Abi '1-Khusaib. In our author's time it was a flourishing and town it is most ancient cities of populous ; and one of the Egypt. See

Wort. iv. F.v trans. i. Yakut, Geogr. p. ivo, and Mushtarik, p. ; Al-Idrisi, Jaubert, p. 124; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. r.o; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 257 f. Al-Makrizi mentions only six churches as existing in his time at Munyah Bani Khasib, viz. the Virgin, Saints Peter and Paul, St. Michael, St. George, St. Paul of Tamwaih, and the Three Holy Children. 224 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Mercurius, and the other of Abu Kais 1 these two; and also in the a of the the Pure a church ancient temple church Lady, Virgin Mary ; of the martyr Mercurius; a church of the angel Michael; and a church 2 outside the town on the road to Daljah . There is a monastery named after the martyr Theodore, outside Nahur, on the eastern bank. It is said that Munyah Bani Khasib is also called Munyah Bu Kais, it the after the saint, son of Kift, son of Mizraim ; and possesses body of Bu Halbas 3 the , martyr. church of the the Pure at Al-Muharrakah 4 The Lady, Virgin Mary, , in the province of Al-Ushmunain. It was from this place that Christ returned to Misr, and thence to Syria. It is the first church that was founded and consecrated in the southern provinces. 5 is Kiis in the the This town called Kam desert ; and meaning

1 See a few lines lower down. 2 This town is at some distance to the south-west of Munyah Bani Khasib; and lies remote from the river at the foot of the hills. It is now in the district of ar-Raudah, in the province of Asyut, and in 1885 it had 8,209 inhabitants. It seems to be the same as the Coptic eT~Xj

' the Rainer its is Archduke ; and Arabic name said now to be written Dalja, lio. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. oai~; Ame"lineau, Ge'ogr. p. 1 75 f. 3 A martyr of Ahnas, named ^-LU, is commemorated in the Paris Synax- arium, on Barmahat i5 = March 11. 4 The monastery of this place was and is the largest and one of the most celebrated in Egypt. It stands close to Kusakam, and is in the district of Manfalut, in the province of Asyut. The convent contained in 1885 a population of 1,110 inhabitants, consisting of monks, peasants, and Bedouins. Yakut has an article on Dair al-Miiharrdk, which he praises for the beauty of its situation, mentioning the tradition of Christ's visit to it. Al-Makrizi also mentions the monastery in a few words. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. iiP; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 264. Our author makes a mistake in placing Al-Muharrakah in the province of Al-Ushmunain. 5 The Coptic KOCK^JUl. Yakut writes it as one word, Jo^S, 'Kusakam;' see his Wort. iv. r.i . It is also found in the forms Jd>~3 and Geogr. p. J3}3. PLACES IN EGYPT VISITED BY OUR LORD, 225

' of this name of Kus Kam is one who makes shrouds of reeds for

1 the poor .' It was built by Kus, the son of Kift, the son of Mizraim. Our Lord Jesus Christ stayed here with the Lady, the Pure Virgin Fol. 78 b Mary, his mother in the flesh, and the righteous old man, Joseph the carpenter, at the time when they fled from Herod, the unbelieving king, who slew the infants. They stayed in a chamber in the upper story of this church, which is reached by mounting a flight of steps. In this chamber there is a window which was opened in the wall by the breath of it not the nor the Lord ; was opened by hand, by any tool. In the church there is one altar, which was consecrated by 2 the descent it of our Lord Christ with the in the upon , great disciples, 3 clouds, according to the testimony of the homily of Philotheus, the

M. Amdlineau omits the form given by our author. Some writers have made it the same place as Al-Muharrakah, and our author seems to be of this opinion. In fact, however, the monastery of Al-Muharrak was built at the foot of the western mountain, which is not far from the town of Kusakam, and is named after it Jabal Kusakam. Vansleb stayed at Kusakam for a month, in a.u. 1664, and says that the town was then in ruins, and that nothing remained but the monastery of Al-Muharrak. See Ame'lineau, Geogr. p. 398. Kusakam is identified with Apollinopolis Parva. (A. J. B.) 1 The Coptic KCOC means to prepare for burial, by enshrouding, swathing, or and means ' reed.' embalming ; KJUL 2 The Paris Synaxariam says, at Hatur 6 = Nov. 2 :

> Jk~oM> fu. .> Uo, UxL. La^\ oisr {J,*}* (jAj (M~&>. i^k^ ^>-~U cj l_r pL^

' [On this day is commemorated] the meeting of the Saviour, our God and our King, our Lord Jesus Christ, with his pure disciples at Kuskam, which is the same as Al-Muharrak, and the first liturgy which took place there, according to the testimony of St. Philotheus and St. Cyril.' 3 as Professor the M. Ame'lineau J+** is, Margoliouth points out, Syriac );,:*> J^. ' says, Les moines du monastere de Moharraq m'ont raconte que la Sainte Vierge avait conduit l'enfant Jdsus a l'emplacement ou s'e'leve maintenant leur monastere; et il existe dans la litte'rature copte un discours attribud a Th^ophile, le patriarche d'Alexandrie, sur la vi.site de la sainte famille a Moharraq. Ce discours n'existe g g [II. 7] 226 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 twenty-third patriarch . Hence came the form of consecration [of

churches which has since been employed] : the vessels filled with water'; and the prayers recited over the water, to consecrate it; and the odoriferous 3 and the leaves and the their plants ; lamps upon stands and the of the walls of the church and ; sprinkling ; [Christ] commanded Peter to cause all churches to be consecrated according

to this form : the form of the first consecration, which took place at Al-Muharrakah, in the province of Al-Ushmunain. 4 The church of the the Pure is the first church Lady, Virgin , which was built in Egypt. Hence Christ went down to Misr, and thence he returned to Syria. This church is called Kus Kam, and is very small. [Christ and his parents] were accompanied by Moses, son of the brother of Joseph the carpenter. Our Lord Christ bid Moses place a stone beneath his head this died and ; he did, and immediately he ; he was buried in this place. Opposite the door of the church there is a well of running water. In the church there is a tank full of water, Fol. 79 a which at a later time was turned into wine. The form of consecration employed for this church became the customary rule for all future 5 times and the consecration took of . ; place on the 6th Hatur After [his stay here], our Lord Christ blessed the water of the aforesaid well, because he and his mother and their companions had drunk of it so that one it in ; every who went to faith, and drank of it or bathed in was healed of his and were cured of their it, pains ; many

plus qu'en arabe, et se trouve dans un MS. de la Vaticane, dans un autre de la

Bibliotheque Nationale, et dans la bibliotheque de Moharraq.' (Jl/em. pour servi'r

a Vhistoire de I'figypte Chret. p. 8o, note.) 1 Also called he sat from a. d. to See Theophilus ; 385 412 (?). Renaudot, Hist. Pair. pp. 103-108. 2 For an account of these ceremonies see Coptic Churches, ii. p. 338 ff. 3 The plant used for sprinkling the water was a kind of beetroot, in Arabic silk see Hist, de (

sweet like the water of the I of it, Jihon ; mean the Nile Egypt. Pilgrimages have been made by many multitudes from all districts to this church from ancient times, because it has been celebrated on account of and wonders and the of various diseases signs healing ; and the time of pilgrimage is at Easter, every year. The Lord Christ commanded that the original size of this church should not be added to ; but that it should remain as it was. The mark of the hand of the Lord is on the eastern and on the western mountain.

Adjacent to this church there is a large and ancient keep, which had fallen into decay, but was renewed and restored to its original condition by the Shaikh Abu Zakari ibn Bu Nasr, the administrator of Al-Ushmunain have on him and rest to his ; may God mercy grant soul ! this was in the caliphate of Al-Hafiz. In this district there lived in ancient times Kharbata, son of Malik, the hard-hearted but a thunderbolt hurled at giant ; was him from heaven, so that he was burnt up, and not a trace of him could be 1 found; on this account the place was called Al-Muharrakah . Fol. 79b This Khartaba, son of Malik, the giant, possessed much treasure and wealth ; but he loved to do evil deeds, and did not fear God or dread his chastisements ; and so God hurled a thunderbolt at him, which burnt him up, so that not a trace of him remained. On this account the place was called Al-Muharrakah, as it has already been said. To the west of this church there is a vaulted chamber, hewn out in the mountain-side and here the used to dwell and the ; Lady ; Christian people began to come to this chamber, and obtain blessings from it. It is said that at Easter, in the year 891 of the Righteous Martyrs (a.d. 1175), the water in the well was turned into wine, according to the testimony of an assembly of priests, bishops, and laity, who wrote down an account of the event.

1 I.e.' The burnt understood. When the form is masculine village,' i>J? being (Al-Muharrak), jo is understood. g? 2 228 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Monastery at Ansina.

The great monastery on the mountain, founded by Matthias the 1 monk, near Ansina . Many monks entered upon the monastic life here. This monk wonders one of which was [Matthias'-] performed many ;

1 this I Whether should be Ansina, as our MS. has it, or Isna (Esneh) cannot say. See following note. 2 This Matthias, or Matthew, is mentioned in the Life of the Patriarch

Alexander (a. d. 704-737?;; and the following story is to be found there. See

Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 136, 1. 10 ff., where the saint, however, is said to have lived near Isna. A Coptic life of this saint, who is there called .TT

St. Pachomius, near Isna (Esneh), where he lived a most ascetic life, fighting with devils, who appeared to him in the form of serpents. A girl was brought to him, possessed by a devil, and he bade her parents anoint her with oil from the church lamp, so that she was healed. The Mahometan governor of Isna used to consult

Matthew on matters of importance, and send him presents of grapes, figs, pomegranates, myrtle, and jasmine.

The festival of St. Matthew the Poor is kept on Kihak 7 = Dec. 3; and the

Synaxariwn has the following notice on that day :

'J1* M _j'wl ^a J-^ ys <^y*-t^) ill* (j*^^' iv^^**^ 1 3 Lr^^ *^ r*W lJ

B ^~^ **3" 5 W, \y\) \j^/ J" u^ (JT^J ti ^^ (j^W^ P7*~J **^C Jol-9 J*J ,j^j

' On this day died St. Matthew the Poor. This saint was the superior of a monastery on a mountain in the neighbourhood of Aswan. He used to perform many wonderful works, and cast out devils; and he was counted worthy to possess the gift of healing, so that he used to pray over every sick man who was brought to him, and the Lord healed the sick man in answer to his prayers.'

The Synaxarium then relates the story of the girl who was swallowed up, in

somewhat different terms from those of our author, and concludes thus :

.}L_< ^JJ iuxoi JSl Ui sJuJ (_P=*J1 *xkj ^u wl i_j^1 \'& JJl-9 j* xLj

AOjti,i /** sj'UL> sJI i_j.ll jjo-i. (j-^i ^j /*^*^ oy^ ilj*fiX'

' Among the wonderful acts recorded of this Father was his habit of feeding OTHER CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES. 229 the following. A certain maiden had two brothers, who were tempted Satan to commit sin with so that she became and by her, pregnant ; this fact became apparent, but none knew the cause. So her parents her to this monk and he her as to the brought ; questioned how thing had and she confessed all to him. Then he raised his happened ; hands to heaven and and the earth and prayed ; immediately opened swallowed her up, in the sight of her parents. This is attested by the Fol. a History of the Church in the Life of the Father Alexander, the priest 80 of of Hcnaton 1 the monastery To , who became forty-third patriarch.

Other Churches and Monasteries in Upper Egypt.

In the district called Mir there are three churches. 2 In the district called Sanabu there are twenty-seven churches. In the district called Mansara there are three churches. Belteshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar, restored the land of Egypt after its desolation during forty years. The first district which 3 he restored was that of Al-Ushmunain . There is a monastery named after the glorious angel Michael, in

wild beasts with his own hand. So when he had finished his course, he went to his rest in peace, and the Lord took him to himself. May his acceptable prayers be with all those who are baptized ! Amen.'

' Renaudot {Hist. Patr. p. 119) calls this saint Domitius,' following a corrupt reading (^^io) in one passage of the patriarchal biography. If he had read a little more carefully, he would have found the name written a few lines lower

' ^^1*, Matthew.' 1 The word is not easy to read in the MS., and I do not know whether

I have correctly reproduced the form intended by our copyist. But that Alexander came from the monastery of Az-Zajdj, on the sea-shore, nine miles to the west of and therefore called in Alexandria, Greek To Henaton (to harov), and in Coptic ni^ert^/Tort, is testified by the patriarchal biography. Al-Makrizi also informs us of the identity of the Dair az-Zajdj with the Hair al-Hanatiin. See also Cat. Zoega, p. 337 ; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 532. 2 See fol. 77 b. 3 This piece of information has already been given us above, fol. 23 b. 230 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. the of Kus and a of Saint Sinuthius likewise and city ; monastery ; also a monastery of Saint Pachomius. It was to a monastery at Akfahs that Anba Sanhut, bishop of Misr, fled 1 in fear Michael of the , of Anba Sanjar, sixty-eighth patriarch, he was in schism and he lived in the against whom ; monastery three years. A monastery in the desert, in Upper Egypt. It was here that 2 the lived in in the Benjamin , thirty-eighth patriarch, concealment, reign of Heraclius, emperor of the Romans, who was a Chalcedonian [heretic], and while George, son of Mennas, the Mukaukis, was ruling in Egypt, until the end of ten years, through fear of both of them, according to the warning of the angel. This was the period during

1 See Renaudot, Hist. Patr. p. 476. 2 The patriarchal history compiled by Severus of Al-Ushmftnain states that when the monothelite patriarch Cyrus came to Alexandria, an angel warned the the see to to flee Jacobite patriarch Benjamin (who occupied from a.d. 622 660 ?) and lie hid for ten years, since the church would be much troubled during that period, and to bid the other bishops of Egypt also flee and conceal themselves. With regard to Benjamin, the biographer proceeds :

i^jJl t^^wJJc si}) 12JL4 issJLft A\ (jO JJi i^~a i t_jyJ ^LaJI ^Oj ^lj ,J1 joj ^j (

&jl J i*JLa ^ A>\ 4 iS^y, eyl^jJl ij* j*. \j\p^L p&jz^ $ ,jOj d,kJl ^jLo

5 J*-* J^.- \) Jf/* W J& ii^ ' set out He by the road to Maryut, walking on foot, by night, accompanied by two of his disciples, until he arrived at Al-Muna, whence he travelled to Wadi Habib. There the monks were few in number, for it was not long after the ravaging of those monasteries, which took place under the patriarch Damian; and the Berbers did not allow the monks to multiply in the Wad! Habib. Then Benjamin quitted the monasteries of Wadi Habib, and went to Upper Egypt, and lived in concealment there in a small monastery in the desert, until the com- of the ten pletion years during which Heraclius and the Mukaukiz (sic) ruled the land of Or. Egypt.' (Brit. Mus. MS. 26,100, p. 103, line 26-p. 104, line 4.) BULYANA AND BAHJURAH. 231 which the emperor oppressed the orthodox people, and required them to conform to his creed, which was contrary to the truth. From these two men the Christians suffered great persecution, yet they would not Fol. 80 b deny their faith. But in their time the Hanifite nation appeared, and the slew of them and took humbled Romans, and many ; possession of the whole of the land of Egypt. Thus the Jacobite Christians were freed from the tyranny [of the Romans]. When the Muslims had ruled for three years, and the patriarch Benjamin was still in concealment, 'Amr ibn al-'Asi heard of that which had happened to him so he wrote a decree of for the and all his ; protection patriarch people; saying in the decree: 'Let the shaikh and patriarch come forth in confidence, with regard both to himself and to all the Copts, who are in the land of Egypt and elsewhere, for they shall be safe from all violence and treachery;' and so on. So this decree of protection reached the father Benjamin the patriarch, who, in consequence, came forth from his concealment, confident in his own immunity and in that of his people, and returned to Alexandria. The first appearance of the Muslims was [in the time of] Andronicus 1 scribe the it the Chaste, the who became thirty-seventh patriarch ; was in the twelfth year of Heraclius, emperor of the Romans, which 2 was the year 933 of Alexander . There is a monastery in Upper Egypt to which the priest 3 Ya'kub fled, that he might serve God there. He had formerly been in the monastery of Saint Macarius, when it was sacked, with the other monasteries of Wadi Habib, by the marauders. He afterwards became Fol. 81 a patriarch. Bulyand and Bahjiirah.

4 City of Bulyana. . This lies to the west of the Nile, in Upper Egypt. Here is the monastery known as the monastery of Bani Musa,

1 Occupied the see from a. d. 616-622 (?); Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 154-155. Our author means, of course, the first preaching of the Mahometan religion at Mecca. 2 I. e. of the Seleucian era.

3 The fiftieth patriarch; sat a. d. 826-836 ? 4 To the south-east of Jirja (Girgeh), on the west bank. It is here that 232 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. which was restored at the expense of As-Safi, who was its abbot. It lies to the west of the city, and its correct name with that of 1 its church is said to be Saint Moses . The plan of construction to be found in this monastery is unlike any that can be seen elsewhere. It is enclosed within a wall. Its gate is plated with iron and studded with nails. It contains a water-wheel, which irrigates a plot of vegetables. The pure body [of the saint] is buried in the monastery. The biography of Anba Christodulus, the sixty-sixth patriarch, relates that the pillars of this monastery all transpired, until the drops ran down like water; and shortly after this the small-pox broke out among the children of Egypt, so that 21,000 of the young people died in less than a sold at Cairo at month ; and wheat was eighty 2 dinars the sack, and at Alexandria at seventy-two dinars . 3 At Bahjurah there is a church of the glorious Saint George, which is beautifully constructed, well-lighted and spacious.

travellers land for Abydos. The Coptic name is no*}fp

Rec. de ii. 62 f. I'figypte, p. ; AmeTineau, Geogr. p. 93 1 The festival of Abu Musa, or Misis the Black, is kept on Ba'unah 24 = June 18. He is said to have been a converted robber, who became a monk, and was the author of several works. See Hist. Laus. Paris Palladius, p. 55 ; Synax- arium ad diem. St. Moses is represented in Venetian paintings. 2 dearth in in This was the year 359 of the Hegira (a. d. 960-961), and the caliphate of Al-Mustansir. 3 Al-Makrfzi mentions a church of the apostles at this place, but not the church of St. George. Bahjurah was formerly in the province of Kfis, but is now in the district of in the of Kana and in it a Farshut, province ; 1885 had population of 4,654. It is at some distance from the bank, and was the centre of a sugar district. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. viv; Revenue-list in De Sacy,

Rec. de ii. 60. Abd-Allatif, p. 702 ; i'Egypte, p. xvs. 233

21s.

1 ' The town of Kus . The meaning of this word is to enshroud V and some of the inhabitants used to enshroud the kings for burial. The town is enclosed within a wall. It was built by Kus, son of Kift, so that he might travel thence to the Oases in the west, and in the east to the mines of and emeralds 3 and to the gold , Hedjaz. The known the name of Saint Pisentius 4 Pol. 81 b monastery by , bishop of Kift. Its church is named after the Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary. This stands to the west of it monastery Kus ; and contains the tomb of Pisentius. Saint Outside the monastery, and to the west of it, there

1 Also called KusWarwir {j>^ ^oy, KUOC &epiilp). Formerly the capital of a province, but now in the province of Kana (Keneh), with 10,282 inhabitants in 1885. At the time of our author it was a place of much commercial importance. See Wort. iv. Al-Idrtsi Yakut, Geogr. p. r.i; (ed. Rome) [p. 48]; Al-

i. f. Al-Makrizi in Makrizt, Khitat, p. rn ; Ame'lineau, Geogr. p. 400 says that his time only one church remained at Kus.

2 ' The Coptic KCOC means to prepare for burial.' 3 See above, fol. 20 a. 4 A famous bishop of Kift in the seventh century. See Ame'lineau, Un fiveque de Keft au Vlle?ne Steele. The Synaxariian says at Abib 13 = July 7 :

Xx*cl\ -O jt- Lj'ij'U J^'}^ W^*^ ivj* h^ ^r*"^ ^i>J

' On this day died the Father Pisentius, bishop of Kift. This saint became a monk in his youth, and was exceedingly devout, and learnt by heart many books, among which were the Psalms and the Twelve Minor Prophets.' He had a power of performing miracles; and a woman was healed of her sickness by swallowing dust from his footprints. When he celebrated the liturgy he is said to have been conscious of the presence of the Lord and his angels in the sanctuary, and even to have seen them with his bodily eyes. On one occasion a priest, celebrating the liturgy in the presence of St. Pisentius, was guilty of the irreverence of spitting, for which he was severely reproved by the saint, who told him that he had actually denied the wing of a cherub, who was standing beside the altar and this the stricken with was ; on hearing priest was remorse, carried home sick and died.

h h [II. 7] 234 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

is a well of water which was visited by our Lady and the Lord Christ with the righteous old man Joseph. At this place there is a church named after the holy man, Saint Coluthus; and a church named after the Saint Mercurius the of Saint and a church glorious ; and church John ; named after Saint Theodore; and a church of the glorious martyr Saint Mennas and a church after the Saint ; named glorious martyr outside after the George, Al-'Abbasah ; and a church named glorious chief of a of the fathers martyr Stephen, the deacons ; and church and Peter and Paul a of the and disciples, ; and church great martyrs and their their mother and champions, Cosmas Damian, brethren and ; the church of the Michael and the church of the two glorious angel ; great and glorious martyrs Peter and Paul, outside the city, restored c by the blessed Shaikh Izz al-Kufat, son of the Shaikh Mustafa '1-Mulk Abu Yusuf, under the rule of the Ghuzz and Kurds.

There is a church called Al-'Abbasah outside this city, named after the saint and martyr George, which has already been mentioned. It was visited by Shawar as-Sa'di, the vizier, while he was governor of Kus, and he made a vow which he promised to fulfil when he should Fol. 82a become vizier; and God allowed him to obtain his desire, for he was

made vizier to the caliph, Al-'Adid li-dini 'llah, at Misr, in the month of Muharram of the year 558 (a. d. 1162); and he sent that which he had vowed continually up to the time of his death on the iHth of Rabf the Second, in the year 564 (a.d. 1169); when the Ghuzz and the Kurds, led by Shirkuh the Kurd, conquered Egypt. The meadow known as that of Bani Humaim, the Arab tribe, lies to the east, in the district called Iknii. There was on the estate of Mara, an Arab, a church named after the glorious saint and martyr George, which he founded on the bank of the great river. Mara built it with his own for he loved this who money ; saint, appeared

' to him in a dream, and said to him : Build a church to my name.' But the Muslims were indignant with Mara, on this account, and brought charges against him, because of which he was seized by Al-Majid Faris, son-in-law of Shawar, when the latter was wali of Kus, who placed him in fetters, and intended to put him to death. But he offered to the wali much money, and the Christians assisted him with a large THE WHITE MONASTERY. 235 sum of and so he was released out of the hands of the money ; governor. Afterwards Mara was killed by Arabs 1 in the desert; and he was brought to the side of this church and buried there. It is said that before he was killed, Saint George appeared to him during his imprisonment, and spoke with him, and loosened the fetters from his feet. In this church, Mara replaced the roof of timber by a new roof; and p l. 82 b he had pictures of the martyrs, of the saints, and of the angels painted in the church. Other restorations were undertaken by Fakhr ad-Daulah Abu '1-Makarim ibn al-Fath, the Alexandrian scribe, when he was in this place in the year 892 of the Righteous Martyrs (A.D. 1 175-6).

The White Monastery.

of the saint Sinuthius 2 In The monastery great , near Ikhmim. this monastery there is a very large church, spacious enough to contain

1 form to the of well The J&c-, applied especially desert Arabs, is, course, known in later Arabic. 2 See p. 194, note 2. This is the famous White Monastery (^o^l^jJl) near Suhaj, and not far from Ikhmim, though on the opposite side of the Nile to that town. See Norden's Plate LXXXIX, which shows Dair al-Abiad, or the White

Monastery, and Plate XC, which shows Ikhmim : also Curzon's Monasteries of the

Levant, ch. xi (p. 128), and the description and references given in Coptic Churches, vol. i. p. 351 seq. I take this opportunity of remarking that neither the measurements nor the description which I borrowed for the latter work from Denon and from others have proved accurate. Pococke's plan and section face p. 246 of vol. i. The site of the church is now so encumbered with houses which cover the greater part of it a whole village in fact lies within the walls of the church that to make an accurate plan will require a great expenditure of time and labour, and probably

the ii. of money. Ikhmim, Xe'^is (Xe/x/^w) of Herodotus (lib. 91) and Diodorus

(lib. i. 18), was famed for its linen according to Strabo (lib. xvii) a fame which has been abundantly confirmed in the last few years by the discovery of the rich textiles now in the South Kensington Museum.

' The designation 'White Monastery was already given in the time of our author, for Yakut speaks of the foundation of St. Sinuthius under that name {Geogr. Wort.

' ii. p. ifi), mentioning also another White Monastery,' which overlooked Edessa. h h 2 236 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. thousands of people, and within it are the bodies of the two pure

The following is M. Amelineau's account of the monastery of St. Sinuthius as it is at present : ' St. Sinuthius his reste L'ceuvre de ces braves gens [i.e. and monks] aujourd'hui. Pas une pierre n'a bouge. Quand de loin on la voit se detacher en avant de la montagne, elle se pre'sente comme un bastion carre : de fait c'est plutot une forteresse qu'un monastere. La construction est rectangulaire, faite a la maniere des anciens Egyptiens, par assises froides. Les blocs de pierre fournis par les temples de la ville ruinee ont du etre coupe's et faille's de nouveau : cependant ils montrent encore leur emploi primitif. Les murs d'une grande profondeur n'ont pas moins de 120 metres de longueur sur cent en largeur. La hauteur en est et tout autour une sorte de corniche tres-grande ; regne peinte qui rappelle les chapiteaux de certaines colonnes de la grande salle hypostyle de Karnak. On distingue encore quelques restes des couleurs dont les pierres e'taient revetues. On entrait au monastere par deux portes qui se faisaient face, et dont l'une a 6t6 mure'e depuis. Celle par laquelle on entre aujourd'hui est d'une profondeur de plus de 15 metres; quand on y passe l'obscurite fait la frisson. Les moines qui la traversaient dtaient vraiment sortis du monde. " " droite de cette la a l'entre'e on voit encore A porte se trouve grande e'glise ;

deux colonnes de marbre dont on n'a pu trouver l'emploi . . . L'e'glise elle-meme a la forme de toutes les eglises coptes avec ses cinq coupoles. La coupole du fond est orne'e de peintures encore bien conservees, avec des inscriptions coptes

en l'honneur du fondateur : elles sont sans doute poste'rieures a Schnoudi. - et de lire les L'obscurite de cette e'glise empeche de reconnaitre les peintures

il faut se avant 2 heures du soir . . . Le inscriptions ; trouver au monastere se et les salles de reunion tout long des murs trouvaient des cellules, grandes ; a disparu aujourd'hui, car les huttes actuelles sont re'centes. Au-dessus de l'e'glise dans des conduisait a la terrasse l'^paisseur murs, on avait pratique une rampe qui ;

a gauche de cette rampe en terre on avait construit des chambres . . . Les con-

cote' debout : celles du structions du gauche de l'e'glise sont seules demeurees cote droit n'ofTrent plus que des ruines ou Ton ne peut se risquer.' {Vie de

Schnoudi, p. 88.)

' It should be added that the first monastery on the site of the present White ' Monastery was founded by Aba Bajul, the teacher of St. Sinuthius, who built the

much larger one which still exists. {Op. tit. p. 47.) (A. J. B.) THE WHITE MONASTERY. 237

1 of disciples, Bartholomew and Simon the Canaanite, two the twelve 2 Apostles. The body of the great saint Sinuthius, the archimandrite ' ' a word which means superior of the superiors is in a monastery 3 the called Atribah it was contained in at the top of mountain ; a chest until the invasion of Egypt by Shirkuh and the Ghuzz who broke the chest and the who accompanied him, and open ; body in was taken out of it, and concealed in the ground an unconsecrated near the altar. In this there is a and there chamber monastery keep ; is around the keep and the monastery also a wall of enclosure, within which there is a garden full of all sorts of trees. That part of the history of the church, which describes the patriar- 4 chate of Anba Kha'il, the forty-sixth patriarch, relates that Al-Kasim Fol. 83 a ibn 'Ubaid Allah, wall of Egypt, was an unenlightened and wicked 5 man. He employed large boats to carry his odalisques [up and down the river] to all parts of the country as far as Uswan, together with his body-guard and troops. In one of his journeys he came to this monastery, accompanied by one of his odalisques, whom he greatly loved and both of them were horses. there was ; riding upon Now in this monastery an aged monk who was the superior of the monks.

1 This apparently contradicts the statement above that St. Bartholomew's body was in the Oasis of Al-Bahnasa but relics said to be his existed at both ; perhaps places. Quatremere quotes this passage, Mem. i. p. 14 f. 2 So the Coptic and Arabic panegyrics on this saint call him :

3 There was a mountain and also a village of this name, called in Coptic

Ge'ogr. p. 70 f.) 4 is in This story related the biography of the patriarch Michael or Kha'il ; see Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 142, line 20 ff. 5 The used in the is expression patriarchal history djlU jy Jt ^S^-o, ' boats like royal palaces.' 23 8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

So the monks went forth to meet Al-Kasim and brought him into the with the was with and monastery, together odalisque who him ; they passed through the first door, and through the second which leads into the enclosure of the church as far as the ; and they went door which forms the entrance into the church, still riding upon their horses. But as they were about to enter into the church, this old

' man, the superior of the monastery, cried out, saying : Alight [from thy horse], O emir, and enter not with such pride into the house of above all in the of this for never from the God, company woman ;

beginning has any woman entered into this church ! I fear for this ' woman therefore, if she shall enter into this church ! But the emir

paid no heed to the words [of the old man], but entered on horseback, together with his odalisque and the soldiers who were with him. So when he came to the middle of the church, his horse plunged with and he fell to the and his fall the horse which him, ground ; through Fol. 83 b the woman was riding also plunged, so that she fell to the ground and died on the and the horse that under her died also. spot ; was And as for Al-Kasim, the aforesaid governor, there descended upon him the spirit of an unclean devil, which buffeted him, so that he foamed at the mouth, and his teeth gnashed like the tusks of a wild

boar. But when he had recovered a little, he understood the evil that he had done, and repented of his rashness, and that he had not listened to the bidding of the aged superior. Then he called the superior and

' said to him : To-day I have sinned, because I did not listen to the counsel which thou didst address to me. But now the mysteries of this place have been manifested to me so that I do not doubt them.

I desire therefore, O shaikh, that thou shouldest accept this gift of money, and pray for me that God may forgive me, and may not deal with me as I deserve, because I ventured into the house of God, and entered it riding on horseback together with my companions.' Then the aged monk consoled him, and would not accept anything from him but the emir forced ; adjured him and him, and showed humility towards him, and at last induced him to take four hundred dinars,

' saying : I ask God to pardon thee, O shaikh, that thou mayest ask him to pardon me this sin which broke from me.' THE WHITE MONASTERY. 239

Now there was in the church a wooden chest of sdsani-wood inlaid with 1 three which Saint Sinuthius had ivory , and containing shelves, made to contain books, and he used to inscribe there the amount of votive offerings accruing to the monasteries. And a certain shaikh accompanying the emir, named Ar-Rayan, who had been wall of Fol. 84 a Egypt before Al-Kasim, and was his friend, begged that he might take this chest away with him. But he was informed that the chest was the property of the church, and that it was impossible that it should be removed but he listen to the miracle ; would not that, although great that had happened was told him. And he commanded a body of men to it out of the church but were not able to do so. So carry ; they when he saw this other wonder, he asked pardon of God most high, and made a gift of three hundred dinars of his money. Then they were filled with doubts and and the departed. And they dismay ; unclean spirit did not cease to possess Al-Kasim, chastising him at all times until the hour of his death. Bahram 2 the who had been vizier in the , Armenian Christian, caliphate of Al-Hafiz, became a monk in this monastery after he was banished from his office. Then he desired to go to Cairo, although he was ill and so he carried to exceedingly weak ; was Cairo and arrived there still living. Nestorius the heretic, who had been patriarch of Constantinople, was buried in the city of Ikhmim, after he had been in banishment 3 in . there for seven years, the year 543 Now when rain falls, it does

1 The Copts were famous for their skill in ivory inlaying, for examples of

see ii. which Coptic Churches, p. 66, &c. (A. J. B.) 2 See above, fol. 6 a. 3 If this date is reckoned from the era of the it is inaccurate and martyrs, very ;

which is it is birth it is still if, unlikely, reckoned from the of Christ, wrong by nearly a hundred years, since the date of the death of Nestorius is a.d. 450 or 451, and that of his banishment a.d. 435. His death anticipated the Council of Chalcedon, to which, according Zacharias the rhetorician, he had been invited to attend ; see

Anecd. iii. lib. ii. c. 2 Bib. Or. ii. and Land, Syr. p. 118; Evagrius, ; Assemani, pp. 40

states that the banishment lasted for seven ii. 55. Eutychius years (Annales, p. 12) ; and relates, as Abu Salih does, that rain never falls on the tomb of Nestorius. (A.J.B.) 240 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

not descend upon his tomb, because he was the cause of the Council of Chalcedon.

Story of Febronia.

1 At in the of there is a con- Al-Jtmud&t , province Upper Egypt, vent, to the east of that district, in which there were nuns, of virginal the life, to number of thirty. Marwan al-Ja'di, the last of the Omeyyad 2 Fol. 84 b caliphs, summoned the Bashrud or Bashmurites to assist him in his when he fled from the Abbaside and he allowed them to war, ; plunder and take and so set about prisoners slay [as they would] ; they doing so. Among the places which they attacked was this convent, which afterwards and the nuns there was a they plundered ; among young maiden 3 named who had come from to this , Febronia, Syria convent, when she was three and had within its walls years old, grown up ; and she was of great beauty. So when the Bashmurites saw her, they were astonished at on account of her and said one her, beauty ; they ' ' to the other : Never was such beauty seen in the world ! So they took her and brought her out from the convent, and separated her from her sisters the virgins, and consulted with one another as to what

' they should do with her ; and some of them said : Let us cast lots

' ' for others said : Let us take her to her ; but the prince.' But while they were consulting upon these and similar proposals, she said to

' I them : Where is your chief, that may tell him of a great secret,

1 I cannot identify this place. 2 On the Bashmurites see Zoega, Cat. p. 139 ft".; Quatremere, Recherches,

ff. Stir le Dialecte &c. p. 147 (' baschmourique '), (A. J. B.) 3 This story is related in full by John the Deacon in his life of the patriarch Kha'il, included among the patriarchal biographies collected by Severus of Al-

1 cf. Hist. Pair. Ushmunain; see Anc. Fonds Arabe 139, p. 7off.; Renaudot, p. 226 f.,

and Quatremere, Recherches, p. 155. The events are also stated in a few words by

Al-Makin, Hist. Sarac. (ed. Erpenius), p. 99, and by Al-Makrizi. The name Febronia (Fibruniyah) is well known to the Copts through the commemoration of the martyr of Nisibis of that name on Abib 1 June 25. (A. J. B.) STORF OF FEBRON!A. 241 worth a great sum of money ? And then you will let me return to sisters in the convent in which I was for I my brought up ; am a virgin, and have lived in retirement in the convent, apart from ' men, and serving God, to whom be praise ! Then the leader of the

' band answered her and said : Here I am ! What is it that thou wilt tell

' me, and what is the secret which thou saidst was worth much money ? So she said to 'him: 'My ancestors were wise, valiant, and warlike; Fol. 85 a and they possessed a secret which they inherited from their ancestors, and disclosed to no one else. They engaged in great wars, and they in without a wound to of and the returned safety, any one them ; cause of this was that they knew certain names which they repeated over the oil with which anointed themselves then went they ; they out to the wars, and neither the sword nor the arrow nor the spear did any harm to them. Now this is what you stand in need of. If therefore thou wilt let me go back to my convent, I will confer this benefit upon thee, and show thee this great secret, and I will give thee what I have of this oil and if thou dost not believe then ; my word, anoint with it whomsoever thou pleasest, and behold the truth of my words.' Then he said to her: 'Anoint with this oil for no one thyself ; else will be to nor will I the easily persuaded do so ; make experiment

' upon any of my comrades.' So she said to him : Wilt thou swear to me, before I reveal this secret to thee, that thou wilt let me go, and ' restore me to my convent and the place in which I was brought up ?

' Then he swore to her, saying : I will let thee go, and will not allow any

' of my comrades to take thee captive.' Then she said to him : Let me go back to my place with thee and no .other, that I may take the oil and anoint myself with it in thy presence.' So he went with her into the convent and she the of the and ; approached picture Lady, prayed before it, and begged the Virgin to assist her to obtain deliver- ance and then she anointed herself on the with oil of the Fol. 85 b ; neck lamp.

' Then he said : I will not make the experiment except in the presence of my comrades.' So he returned to them with her, and told them all

' that had happened, and said to them : Know that I have sworn to this maiden, that if her words prove true I will let her go, and will allow none of my comrades to have power over her. Do you then

i i [II. 7.] 242 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

' ' agree with me in this matter ? Then they said to him : We will not thee and if this secret be true we shall obtain much oppose ; advantage ' " from it.' Then he said : This maiden said, Try it on whomsoever thou mayest wish," so I said to her, "It is fittest to try it on thee;" and she consented and she neck with it but I did not think ; anointed her ; fit to try it except in your presence.' Then he commanded one of his comrades, who had a sharp-edged sword with him, and said to him, ' Come, strike her upon the neck with this sword that thou hast with thee and if we see the result to be will with ; successful, you agree me to let her go.' So they consented to his bidding. Then that man arose and drew his sword, and the maiden bent her knees and displayed her neck did not in her heart. Then ; but they know that which was

' she covered her face, and said : If there is any strong man among you. let him strike with his sword upon my neck, and you will see the power of God in this great secret.' So that man whom their chief had went forward to and struck with all his and appointed her, might ; her head fell from her for it her immediately body ; was purpose by Fol. 80 a this means to preserve her maidenhood, that she might appear before Christ a pure virgin, as she had been created, without earthly stain. So when the ignorant Bashmurites saw what had befallen the maiden, at last what had been her intention and they knew ; they repented and were exceedingly sad, and did no injury henceforth to any of those virgins, but let them go, and refrained from the undertakings which they had planned, and restored to the nuns all that they had pillaged from their convent.

Iklunim and tJic neighbourhood. -.

In the city of Ikhmim there were seventy churches until the end of the year 552 of the Arabs (a. D. i 157). 1 In the district of Dimnu there is a church, on the western bank of the river, named after the glorious saint Abu Bagham.

1 Yakut mentions a large and much frequented church at Dimnu, which is on the west of the Nile, opposite to Ikhmim, and is now included in the district IKHMhM AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. 243

1 There is also the monastery of Saint Pachomius at Barjanus, in the district of Taha. 2 There is the of Abu Halbanah to the east of monastery , Ikhmim, near which there is a spring of water which runs from the mountain into a reservoir there. The monastery of Saint Paul, the superior of the monastery in Upper Egypt. The monastery of Saint Pachomius, the superior of the monastery of Ikhmim. The Book of the Monasteries by Ash-Shabushti relates that there is in the district of Ikhmim a large monastery to which visitors come from all and it is near the mountain called parts ; Jabal al-KaJif*. At a certain place on this mountain there is a fissure; and on the day when that monastery keeps its festival, all the birds of the species Fol. 88 b called Abu Kir* come to this and it is a wonder to see place ; great the multitude of the birds, and to hear their cries and to behold their assembling around that fissure. Then, one after the other, without ceasing, they insert their heads into the fissure, and place their beaks in the of the and utter a and come and this cavity mountain, cry away ; they do until the head of one of them is caught in the fissure, and

in of Suhaj, the province of Jirja, with a population in 1885 of 369 inhabitants.

. See Wort. ii. 1 1 f. Yakut, Geogr. p. ; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 138 1 This famous abbot of Tabennesi or Tabcnna is commemorated by the Copts on Bashans 2= April 27, but by the Roman church on May 14. He seems to have died in a.d. 348 or 349 at an advanced age, after establishing a set of rules for the monastic life. See Acta SS. at Hist, May 14 ; Amdlineau, de S. Pakhome el de ses commiinaute's.

2 It is apparently this convent which Pococke describes (vol. i. p. 78) as lying 'to ihe east of Akhmim' and 'being one of the most dismal retirements he

' ever saw.' Pococke mentions the spring and the well called Bir Elaham/ In Pococke's name for this monastery 'Dermadoud' (Dair Madud?) there is no correspondence with that given by Abu Salih, which is, of course, a name of not of dedication, locality. (A. J. B.) 3 Al-Makrizi says that this is part of the Jabal at-Tair. 4 See above, fob 19 b.

i i 2 244 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

he his until he dies after that hangs there, beating with wings ; and all the birds fly away until not one of them is left there. That monastery is celebrated for its wonderful miracles.

Ansina and the neighbourhood. At Ansina 1 was the house of the 2 was born and Mary Copt , who grew up at this place. She it was whom the Mukaukis sent as a gift to who married her and the of the Mukaukis in Mahomet, ; purpose sending Mary the Copt, was that through her he might be connected 3 by affinity with Mahomet. The house of Mary was afterwards turned into a mosque. The district known as Ansina. This was the name of one of the sons of Kift, son of Mizraim, who built it for certain sorcerers. [There 4 is the of a saint called Tabih whose is here] monastery Abu , body contained within it. There is a monastery named after the saint Coluthus, who was a and suffered while he was still alive priest, martyrdom by burning ;

he was of a beautiful countenance ; and he obtained the crown of

and his is contained within the martyrdom ; body monastery. I'ol. 87 a At Ansina there is also a church named after the saint and great and a church of the valiant the martyr George ; martyr Theodore Eastern and a of the saint ; monastery great Sinuthius, on Mount Amdariba'5 in which monks have the , many holy lived, especially holy champion and ascetic, the blessed Anba Yasib.

1 We now return northwards to Ansina or Shaikh 'Abadah, the famous ' Red

' Monastery opposite to Ikhmim being disregarded. The want of plan and in completeness the work of Abu Salih is here again conspicuous. (A. J. B.) 2 Mary the Copt, the concubine of the prophet Mahomet, was a native of Hafn, in the neighbourhood of Ansina. See Ibn Hisham, Sirah Muhammad

i. e and i r I cf. Wort. ii. rio . (ed. Wiistenfeld), pp. ; Yakut, Geogr. p. 3 that the Rather, Egyptians might be connected with Mahomet by affinity. 4 So who makes use of this of Abu Salih see i. Quatremere, passage ; Mem. p. 41. 5 I take this to be another form of Atribah or Adribah (see above, fol. 82 b), USFUT AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. 245

At Ansina there is also the monastery of Al-Khadim, and the church named after Manasseh, which was built over the tomb of that Yasib on account of the number of miracles and the healing of diseases which were manifested at it.

' At Ansina also there is a church called the Church of the Water,' in which festival is kept in memory of the great martyrs and champions 1 of the name of Christ, whose number is forty-one . There is also a church named after Saint Theodore Basradiladus outside Ansina. The monastery of Matthew on the mountain, which was restored 2 by the blessed priest, the fisherman of Ansina. This blessed priest used to make while he was the monastic rule fishing-nets, keeping ; and many became monks in this monastery for his sake. Matthew was a native of Askit 3 and he used to over the and whatever , pray oil, sick person was anointed with it was healed of his disease through the of God which dwelt in him he used to cast out devils power ; and in the name of Christ, from those who were possessed by unclean spirits.

UsyiU and its neighbourhood.

4 5 District of in the of . This Fol. 87 b Shutb , province Suyut town was

and the allusion to be to the White Monastery, opposite to Ikhmim, which has already been spoken of. The MS. has Lu.jjl, and Quatremere transcribes it by ' ' Andrina; see his Mem. i. p. 42, where this passage is quoted in substance.

1 The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. 2 I.e. St. Matthew the Poor, who has already been named above, p. 228. 3 I.e. the desert of Scyathis or Scete, afterwards called Wadi Habib. 4 A little to the south-east of Suyut, Usyiit, or Asyut, on the same side of the river. It is the and in it had inhabitants. See Coptic CXJCDTn ; 1885 4,008

Wort. iii. f. Yakut, Geogr. p. n. ; Amdlineau, Ge'ogr. p. 423 s Suyut, Asyut, or Usyut is the largest town in Upper Egypt, and has been

a place of great importance from remote antiquity. The Coptic CKJOCifT, and the Greek Lycopolis, it is now, as it was in the time of our author, the capital of a province, and in 1885 it had 31,398 inhabitants. See Yakut, Gcogr. Wort.

i. rvr Al-Idrisi i. p. ; (trans, jaubert), p. 126; Ame'lintau, Ge'ogr. pp. 464-466. 246 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

' built the and its name means the Beloved.' The by Manfa'us, king ; 1 Rati is here equivalent to 1,000 dirhams. From this town there is a road to the Oases. There were formerly in the town cooks belonging to the king. There is no finer bed of river-slime on the face of the earth than that found nor that has a sweeter smell it is here, any ; enclosed and is the water of the Nile its by mountains deposited by ; is all in one and if a little of it were extent 30,000 feddans, plain ; rubbed in the fingers it would spread out evenly, and some of it would extend the sides in it sow flax and wheat and clover and beyond ; they other crops. It is said that there is nowhere in Egypt anything like this of cultivated fields 2 or level unbroken expanse , any more delightful place where the beauties of the country can be better enjoyed than this, its are in full and when the flowers when crops luxuriance, appear ; they say there is nothing more admirable to be seen. The whole of it on the west is enclosed by a mountain, white in colour, and of the form of if a tailasdiv% which looks as it were a cascade of silver ; and not a word spoken can be heard there on account of the great noise of the birds. no live nor does a travel that At Usyut Jews ; single Jew way, unless he is taking a journey and passes it on the road. The city is surrounded by a brick wall and has seven gates, namely, Bab on the north Bab Wardis on the east Bab al-Arman al-Jabal ; ; ;

1 The Egyptian pound weight. 2 Referring to the mountains just mentioned, the writer in Murray's Egypt

' says, in curious agreement with Abu Salih, The view from these hills over the in is town of Asyoot (sic), and the green plain the early part of the year, the prettiest perhaps to be seen in Egypt. The brightness of the green is perfectly dazzling, and of a tint such as probably can be seen nowhere else in the world : it stretches away too for miles on either side "unbroken," as Dean Stanley so " graphically says, save by the mud villages which here and there lie in the midst of the verdure like the marks of a soiled foot on a rich carpet." (Vol. ii. p. 424.) (A.J.B.) 3 The tailasdn is an ecclesiastical vestment described in Coptic Churches, ii. p. 120. It signifies also a sort of veil or scarf worn by lawyers, doctors, and others. (A. J. B.) USYUT AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. 247

Bab Hariz Bab as-Sudan Bab al- Fol. 88 a a called Al-Kantarah Umm ; ; gate ; Mikyas. The monastery of Abu 's-Sirri. This monastery contains the body of Saint Theodore, the military commander and martyr, and the body of the Hariifus these two bodies lie a wooden stand in the bishop ; upon altar-chamber. called the of Abu Sadir 1 whose The monastery monastery , body arrived at Shutb on the 5th of Hatur. Near the monastery is the 2 of the of which is twelve on the mountain At-Talimun , length posts eastern side. 3 At Al-Kharibah at Suyut there is a ruined bath . There is a church of the martyr Abu Bagham, whose body lies

within it ; and he has another church at Al-Kharibah. 4 There is a at Samallut in the district of monastery , Al-Ushmiinain,

1 Al-Makrizi also of the church of Sadrah Sadir speaks Abu (i.x y\). and Sadrah both seem to be forms of the name ' Theodore.' The Paris Sjwaxarium does not commemorate the of his to Shutb but that translated bringing body ;

' by Mr. Malan has at Hatur 5, Bringing of the body of St. Theodore to Shutab.' 2 Al-Idrisi names this mountain under the form Tailamiln see the (^JJa) ; Roman edition [p. 48]. Cf. Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. n . 3 The mention of the ruined Roman bath at Usyut recalls the incident of the of a in suffocation number of men a bath, during the reign of Theodosius I, by the members of the rival faction, at the time of the games in the circus, and the threatened punishment of the city by the emperor, whose wrath was averted

' ' through the intercession of the saintly monk, kno.wn as John of Lycopolis or Usyut. The reputation of John of Lycopolis was so great that Theodosius consulted him, as if he were an oracle, before his war with Eugenius. See ch. Gibbon, xxvii, who quotes D'Anville, Description de I'Egypte, p. 181, and Abu '1-Fida. (ed. Michaelis), pp. 14, 25, 92, for an account of the town of Usyut, and, for the life of John the monk, Rufinus and Palladius, in Rosweyde's Vitae Patrum;

also lib. vii. and in lib. i. line Sozomen, 22, Claudian, Eutropium, 312 f., for the of embassy Theodosius. (A. J. B.) 4 On the west of the Nile, opposite to the Jabal at-Tair. It is now in the district of Kalusana (Kulusna), in the province of Minyah, and had 3,855 inhabi-

tants in See Wort. iii. it*. Rcc, de ii. 288. 1885. Yakut, Geogr. p. ; VEgypte, p. 24H CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

and here there is a church named after the Abu 1 martyr Bagham , enclosed within a surrounding wall, within which there is also a mill, 2 and an oven, and an oil-press . Adjacent to the church is a keep, which is and above the wails and there is a large high, towering ; garden containing palms and other trees. This monastery owned property, the gift of the caliphs, consisting of twenty feddans of black soil. The monastery was seized by one of the Ghuzz or Kurds in the year 569 (a. D. 1 1 74), and he turned it into a mosque, and seized the garden and the and made the his but in the oven, keep dwelling-place ; same year he died, without carrying out his purposes.

Monastery of Al-Asal.

3 Monastery of Al-'Asal . This is near Munyah Bani Khasib. It Fol. 88 b contains the church of Saint George, and is enclosed by a surrounding wall. It has two and a one of the former to keeps garden ; being the south of the church and containing a mill and the cells of the monks; and the other being to the north of the church. It also has a press for olive-oil. It is said that there are here fourteen churches. There is a church of the saint Sinuthius a church of the and ; Lady Pure a church of the Michael a church Virgin Mary ; glorious angel ; after Saint Claudius the a church after the named martyr ; named 4 saint Bu Hadr of Al-Ushmunain ; and a church named after the

1 Mentioned by Al-Makrizi. 2 The mill and oven are used for preparing the eucharistic bread, the oil-press

' for the secondary oils galilaeon and oil of the lamp.' A wine-press in addition is a common possession of the monasteries, and is used for making the eucharistic

wine. (A. J. B.)

3 ' I.e. Monastery of Honey.' Yakut speaks of it as charmingly situated, and

containing a large number of monks; see his Geogr. Wort. ii. p. ia. . 4 This is apparently the same as Hadri (,

there said to be from Aswan. Cf. Zoega, Cat. p. 299. THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF USYUT. 249 saint and martyr George, in which the liturgy is celebrated every day of the year. It is said that there was in the monastery of Al-'Asal a monk named Simon the saint, who became bishop. At his cell there were in ravens used to build their nests fruit-bearing palms, which the ; and, through his gentleness and kindness, the shy raven grew so tame that it ate from his hand. And the sinners among his people left off their sins, and listened to his life-giving doctrines, and repented of their sins, and began again to attend the church in order to hear his exhortations and teachings, and to bring him, out of their earnings, tithes and money in payment of vows.

The neighbourhood of Usyiit.

District of Al-Khusus 1 in the of on the eastern , province Suyut, bank. Here the Copts have twenty-five churches, and the Armenians have a monastery within the town, and two churches outside the town, and two churches within the town. The restorers of these churches Fol. 89 a 2 will is now be mentioned. There a church of Abu Fanah , restored Ar-Rashid '1-Fadl the church of after by Abu ; Abu Hakanda, named a relation of Safi ad-Daulah, and restored by Hakanda Abu Zakari Mina ibn Kafri, known as Ibn Bulus, together with An-Najib, his brother the church of the and Pure the church ; Lady Virgin Mary ; of the saint the church of the saint glorious George ; glorious and Mercurius and the of of martyr ; church Bandalus. The convent Hanadah, which is inhabited by nuns, is at Rifah, in the province of Suyut.

1 Al-Khusus, opposite to Asyut, seems to be no longer in existence. It is named, however, in the Synaxarium and in the revenue-list of a.d. 1375. M. Amelineau omits a reference he might have made to Abu Salih. See his

Ge'ogr. p. 222 f. Yakut says that the inhabitants of Al-Khusus were all Christians

(Geogr. Wort. ii. p. PPl). 2 The Coptic .&&<*>. finite, a. monk, and contemporary of the emperor TheodosiusI; see Zoega, Cat. p. 356. The Bib. Nat. of Paris possesses an Arabic life of Abu Fanah; see Cat. No. 153, Anc. Fonds Arabe 149. Al-Makrizi mentions a monastery of Abu Fanah in the district of Munyah or Minyah. k k [II. 7 .] 250 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

At Suyut, on the western bank, there are sixty churches; and on 1 the mountain there are churches hewn in the rock with the pickaxe, and all of them have a keep. There is a monastery named after the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary, 2 which is known as Karfunah . 3 is There a monastery named after Saint Severus , outside the town. It is hewn out of the top of the mountain and stands out from the mountain. It possesses a keep, and a cistern which contains a thousand pitchers of water, and is filled from the blessed Nile. On the upper part of this mountain there is a place where there are [chambers in] three stories, hewn in the rock. And there are in this monastery rope- ladders, and there is a place whither, if there be great cause for fear, the monks ascend by these ladders, and when they have arrived at Pol. 89 b the top they draw up the ladders after them. The monastery contains a mill and several ovens, and a press for olive oil. There are thirty monks here. Beneath the monastery there is a garden, full of trees and tall fruit-bearing palms and olives and pomegranates, and verdant these the plots, and beds of vegetables ; and from monastery gains much money, which pays for its needs year by year, besides that which God sends them through alms and also through payment of vows. This monastery is independent, and its inmates are leaders among the monks, holy men, ascetics, champions of the faith, and learned. The free of taxation but when the Ghuzz and Kurds con- monastery was ; quered Egypt they seized upon this and the other gardens in the possession of the monasteries, and also seized their endowments. In the monastery of Saint Severus there lived an aged monk, an fasted after at the end of the ascetic, who continually week week ;

1 See Norden's Plate LXXXIV. (A. J. B.) 2 See Al-Makrizi's mention of this monastery near Usyiit, which he calls or that the name Karfioiah (S3yS), Arfiinah (ii^l), Aghrafiind (li^cl), adding means 'writer,' i.e. ypafywv. 3 The Dair Abi Sawiris at Usyut is mentioned by Yakut {Geogr. Wort. ii.

p. ifi) and by Al-Makiizi. THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF USYUT, 2D'

to TalaT that he would rise in rank and would become vizier ; and indeed the most God did him the vizierate and so he high grant ; presented to the monastery, in addition to that which it already possessed, a tract of fertile soil. Now this holy old man used to fast even during the Fifty Days Fol. 90 a Easter and until the ninth hour [between Pentecost], every day ; and then he broke his fast with a few lupins only. There is a monastery of Saint John, which is also called Ibsha'i. There is a monastery named after the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary, which is called the monastery of Azilun. Beneath it there is a garden, full of palms and other trees. There is another monastery named after the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary, which is called the monastery of Abu '1-Harith. 2 There is a called Dair at-Tinadah named after the monastery , martyr Abu Bagham. There is the monastery of the martyr Saint Victor, with a church which contains his body and that of the martyr David. The body of the martyr Coluthus is in his monastery at Suyut, with the body of the martyr Bagham. The monastery of Saint Victor is at Al-Khusus, to the east of Suyut, on the mountain and it contains his ; pure body.

1 See above, fol. 7 a. 2 Yakut gives us the pronunciation of this name, and adds that the monastery was a celebrated one near Usyut, attractive as a resort for pleasure, and inhabited by many monks [Geogr. Wort. ii. p. if<\). k k 2 252 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 2 A monastery called Ibsidiya stands between Rifah and another 3 place . 4 There is a church named after Saint which is called Dair Sergius , Abu Makrufah, and lies to the east of Suyut.

Tunbudhd.

Tunbudha. Within and without this town there are [respectively] a and a church named after the saint and Tarnimah monastery martyr ; and his pure body lies in the monastery. There is a church named after the martyr Basmantah, which contains his pure body. There is a church named after the Saviour, who is our Lord Jesus

Christ, to whom be glory !

Various Churches and Monasteries.

Fol. 90 b The monastery of Aba Nub the martyr, which contains the bodies of sixty-three monks who were martyred. It stands to the north of the town of Al-Ushmunain. The monks were put to death by a black, named Haffaz, in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir bi'llah, at the time of the disturbances in Upper Egypt, during the patriarchate of Christo- dulus, the sixty-sixth in the succession, in the year 781 of the Righteous Martyrs (a.d. 1065-6). This monastery contains a keep, which is a lofty structure.

1 M. Ame'lineau, who notices this passage of Abu Salih, quotes a mention of Ibsidiya in the Synaxarium, in the account of St. Victor there, and says the place must have been to the south of see 202. Usyut ; Ge'ogr. p. 2 The churches and monasteries of Rifah, a little to the south of Usyut, are mentioned by Al-Makrizi. The Coptic name of the place is epHE.6. It still exists, and had in 1885 a population of 4,119. See Amelineau, Ge'ogr. p. 165. 3 The name is omitted in the MS. 4 This martyr, so celebrated in the Eastern churches, suffered in the persecution of Diocletian about the same time as his friend St. Bacchus. The Copts

keep the festival of St. Sergius on Babah 10 = Oct. 7. See Synaxarium at that

day; Eutychius, Annates, i. p. 412. VARIOUS CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES. 253

There is a church named after the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary. There are two churches named after the angel Gabriel, one of which was wrecked by the mob of Muslims in the year 580 (a. D. 11 84), under the rule of the Ghuzz and Kurds. There are also two churches named after the Michael two churches after the angel ; named martyr Aba Lukum a church named after the Fathers a church ; and Disciples ; of the Saint Mennas two churches of the and Pure martyr ; Lady a named after the Virgin Mary ; monastery glorious martyr Theodore ; a church of the and Pure a after Lady Virgin Mary ; church named the Gabriel a church named after the Falukh angel ; martyr Aba ; the church of the and a after the angel Raphael ; church named great martyr George. At-Sumusta \ in the nearer part of Upper Egypt, there is the church of Abu Harudah, the martyr, whose body lies within it. 2 Butij . The body of Saint Pachomius and the body of Sinuthius Fol. 91 a lie in two chests in a church to the south of Butij. Town of Al-Kais or Dafu. Here is a church which contains the body of the martyr Saint Isaac. Ishnin, both within and without. Here is a large church of the glorious angel Michael. This church is beside the stream of the blessed Nile, and contains four chapels, namely, a church of our Lady the Pure a church of the valiant Virgin Mary ; martyr Theodore ; a church of the a church of the martyr Ptolemy ; and glorious martyr Saint John. There are also six churches, namely, a church of the angel Raphael,

1 Sumusta or Samasta is on the west bank, and is now in the district of Biba, in the province of Bani Suwaif, with a population in 1885 of 2,135. There are three small hamlets of the same name in the same district beside this larger village, which is distinguished by the name of Samesta al-Wakf. The MSS. of Al-Makrizi

write lk~,. See Wort, voc. Ibn v.

See Wort. i. voo 11 f. Yakut, Geogr. p. ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 254 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

a church of the Saint Mercurius a of the martyr ; church martyr Claudius a church of the valiant Theodore a church of the ; martyr ; Daniel and a church of besides a second glorious prophet ; Aba Fu, church of the angel Michael. 1 Akfahs . Here there are six churches, of which the following

is a list : a church named after the and Pure the Lady Virgin Mary ; church of the Michael a church of the glorious angel ; glorious angel Gabriel a church of the Theodore a church of the ; martyr ; martyr Aba the church of 2 the scribe and of Akfahs. Siyun ; Julius , martyr 3 is the of Saint Philemon the which [There also] monastery , martyr, contains several monks. Adjacent to it there is a keep and a garden. This monastery lies to the south of the district. 4 Dalas was founded by Dalas, for a man who separated himself from Fol. 91 b intercourse with the world ; and it contained three hundred smiths, 5 the bits of . who forged Dalas [Here is] the church of Saint Coluthus,

1 This town, the Coptic K&^^C or ^fie^C, is on the west bank, a little to the north of Tunbudha and opposite to Fashn. It is included in the district of the last-named town, and in the province of Minyah, and in 1885 had 1,614 inhabitants. Akfahs is well known in Coptic hagiology on account of Julius of Akfahs, the biographer of the martyrs. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. ita; Ibn Dukmak, v. p. r; Ame'lineau, Geogr. pp. 56-58. Al-Makrizi, who gives Akfas (^Uiil) as an alternative form, speaks of a ruined monastery there. 2 This is the famous author of so many of the Coptic lives of saints now existing. He became himself a martyr, and his death is commemorated on Tut 22 = Sept. 19. His body was taken to Alexandria, where the emperor Constantine afterwards erected a to his See ad diem church name. Synaxarium ;

Amelineau, Actes des MM. p. 123 ff. 3 St. Philemon is said to have been a musician, and to have been martyred

in the persecution of Diocletian. His festival is on Barmahat 7 = March 3. See

Synaxarium at that day; Ame'lineau, Actes des MM. p. 63. 4 On the west bank, in the district of Az-Zawiyah in the province of Bam Suwaif, and in 1885 containing 1,665 inhabitants. The Coptic name is "["XoX. In the time of our author the place was in the province of Al-Bahnasa. See

Wort. ii. oaI Yakut, Geogr. p. ; Amelineau, Ge'ogr. pp. 136-138.

5 ' Al-Idrisi says (trans, by Jaubert) : Delass est une petite ville ou Ton VARIOUS CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES. 255 the physician, who was also a priest, and was burnt alive in the lire. 1 The district called Shinara . This district was settled upon of Christians and it contains seven in a colony Armenian ; churches good order, with priests and congregations. These are the church of the and Pure the church of the Lady Virgin Mary ; glorious angel Michael two churches of Saint Maximus two churches named after ; ; the Gabriel a church named after Bastidar and a church named angel ; ; after the glorious martyr Saint George. 2 Tuwah . This was the name of a horse of Pharaoh, which grew

' up and became of great size, and was named Possessor of columns.' City of Al-Kais. This town was built by Manfaus for a man who fabricated brocades and embroideries. The Book of the Conquest of Egypt relates that at Al-Kais lived Kais ibn al-Harith, when 'Amr c ibn al- Asi was of and so the was governor Egypt ; place named after him. The district called Daljah. Here there is a monastery and a church named after the saint and champion Onuphrius, which possessed

fabrique des mors de cheval et divers ouvrages en fer. Du temps des anciens elle etait des villes les florissantes mais les Egyptiens comptee au nombre plus ; Berbers, par leurs violences, et les Arabes par leur me'ehancete', l'ont re*duite, ainsi que ses environs, a un e*tat miserable.' 1 On the west bank, opposite to Fashn, in the district of which it is included, being also the province of Minyah. In 1885 Shinara contained 1,847 inhabitants, besides 847 Bedouins. The Coptic name is OjkrtepU). The Arabic name is sometimes written !jl; and Al-Makiizi mentions a iy^, which is probably the same place. See Amelineau, Geogr. p. 429 f. 2 There are several places of this name in Egypt, but the one here mentioned is doubtless that which stands a little to the south of Annas on the west bank, and is now included within the province of Bani Suwaif. In the time of our author

it must have been a place of very little importance, since Yakut does not name it, although he speaks of a Tuwah in the province of Manuf. The Coptic form of the name is T CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

a hundred feddans of black fertile soil, scattered among several districts. It is said that the district contains churches one of twenty-four ; and 1 Fol. 92 a them resembles the church of Saint Sergius at Misr. It is also said that there were 12,000 Christian inhabitants of this district, and that they slew every year at the feast of the angel Michael 12,000 sheep; but now, at the end of the year 569, which is equivalent to the year D. 890 of the Martyrs (a. 11 74), only 400 sheep [are slain] at the annual festival. District of Al-Kalandimun, near Ansina, in the province of Al-

Ushmunain. Here there are nine churches : [the church] of the Lady and the church of Saint Claudius the church of Pure Virgin Mary ; ; Saint Victor the church of Theodore the church * * * of the ; ; angel Michael the church of the Saint the church ; glorious martyr George ; of Saint the church of Saint Mercurius the church of John ; ; Abu Bagham. 2 District of Athlidim . Here is a church of the Lady and a church of Saint the a church of Virgin ; George, great martyr ; the angel Michael. At Sakiyah Musa there is a church of Saint Victor. 3 District of Shinara . It is said that in this district there are twenty-four churches, one of which resembles that of Saint Sergius at Misr. 4 At Annas there is a church which contains the body of Abu Halba, the martyr.

1 That is the well-known church of Abu Sirjah, which still exists at

Old Cairo, and is fully described with a plan in Coptic Churches, i. p. 181 ff.

(A. J. B.) 2 Athlidim was just to the south of Al-Ushmunain. It is to be found in the revenue-list published by De Sacy, who transcribes it in the form Ithdim. See Wort, ad voc. Ibn v. De Yakut, Gcogr. ; Dukmak, p. m ; Sacy, Abd-Allatif, p. 693. 3 See above, fol. 91b. 4 The Coptic ,ITHC. It still exists, under the name of Ahnasfyat al-Madinah, in the district and province of Bani Suwaif, with a population in VARIOUS CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES. r>/

The monastery of An-Nur is in the territory of Al-Ahnas, on the bank of the Nile. Its church is named after the angel Gabriel. The monastery possesses a keep in five stories, lofty, and of skilful construction. Around the monastery is an enclosing wall, within which there Pol. 92 b are 400 palm-trees. 1 District of Al-Maraghat . Here is a monastery named after the angel Michael, without the town. At Kalusana there is a church of the Copts and a church of the Armenians. 2 Busir Kuridus . In this town lived a sorcerer, in the service of Pharaoh, named Busir, who possessed magical powers. It was here that Marwan ibn Muhammad al-Ja'di, the last of the Omeyyad caliphs, was killed. 'Alyun the heretic was killed here also. In this district there is a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary, and a monastery called the of Abirun 3 to which the of monastery , Marwan, 'Ass War,'

1885 of 2,484, besides 148 Bedouins. In the Roman period the town was named Heracleopolis Magna. In the time of our author it was in the province of Al-

Bahnasa. See Wort. i. f.<\ Al-Idrisi i. 128 Yakut, Geogr. p. ; (trans. Jaubert), p. ; Ibn v. Dukmak, p. ; Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 196-198. 1 Or Al-Maraghah, in the singular. There is now a place of this name in the district of Tahtah, in the province of Jirja, which in 1885 had 8,658 inhabitants. Our author is probably in error in supposing that there was a place of this name near Kalusana, although Al-Idrisi mentions a village called Al-Maraghah, five miles from Ansina. The Al-Maraghat of the revenue-list was in the district of Ikhmim, and so might be that now existing. See Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i. De Rec. de ii. Al-Makrizi p. 124 ; Sacy, Abd-Allatif, p. 701 ; I'tigypte, p. 210. mentions a Coptic church at Al-Maraghah, meaning the place of that name which now exists, since he sets it near Tahta. 2 See fol. 1 7 b. This place is also called Busir al-Mal'ak, and stands at the entrance to the Fayyum, being included in the district of Zawiyah in the province of Bani Suwaif, with 1,886 inhabitants in 1885, besides 511 Bedouins. See

Wart. i. v-i . Ibn v. r \ 10. Yakut, Geogr. p. ; Dukmak, p. ; Amelineau, Geogr p. 3 An Arabic form of the Coptic Piroou (mpcOOT), the name of a martyr of the time of Diocletian, who, with his brother Atum (

Abiruh See ff. (s^^ol). their Coptic Acts in Hyvernat, Actes des Martyrs, p. 135

1 1 [II. 7.] 258 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

who has already been spoken of, came. He was the last of the and he was the the Omeyyad caliphs ; pursued by Khorassanians, of the Abbaside and and followers As-Saffah, ; they caught him, crucified with his head downwards and also killed his him, ; they vizier.

1 c The town of Al-'Ukab . This was built by Aun 'Abd al-Walid ibn Dauma, one of the descendants of Kift, the son of Mizraim, the son of Baisur, the son of Ham, the son of Noah. Account of the spring which is in the Wadi 'l-'Ain, to the east of Ikhmim. When the aforesaid spring is touched by a person in a state of uncleanness, the water ceases to flow into its cistern, until the latter has been cleansed and the polluted water within it removed. Story of the cistern which is named the Pure. It is said that a man saw a cistern which was cut out of a great stone, into which water was flowing from a spring at the foot of the mountain in this Fol. 93 a district, near a church. The water flows in a continuous stream and

is sweet in taste and in smell ; but if a man or woman in a state

of uncleanness touches it, it ceases to flow at that moment, as soon

it reaches the cistern and the of the as ; people place know this, and so they draw out the water which is already there and wash the cistern other water then to flow from with ; and the water begins again the spring according to its custom.

The Oasis of Al-BaJiuasa.

2 The Oases. In the Oasis of Al-Bahnasa there is a church named

after Saint and his is said to be contained in George ; pure body it,

1 For Al-'Ukab see Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. rf.. 2 Otherwise called the Little Oasis (Oasis Parva). The Coptic name OT

is translated I : J\ Another Arabic name is TTeJULXe by 4 lj. i^sr-v' |j, given because it lies to the north of the Oases of Al-Kharijah and Ad-Dakhilah. The Oasis of Al-Bahnasa, to which there is a road from the town after which it is named, is reckoned a part of the province of the Fayyum, and consists of four districts: that of Al-Buwiti with 1,675 inhabitants; that of Al-Kasr, the chief town, with 1,387 inhabitants; that of Mudishah with 1,506 inhabitants; and that THE OASIS OF AL-BAHNASA. 259

1 but without the head . On the festival of his martyrdom, the body is from the and a new veil is over it and it brought out shrine, put ; is carriecl in procession all round the town, with candles and crosses and and then it is carried back to the church. the chanting ; Formerly people feared lest the Romans might steal it, and take it to their church and so it removed to the mountain with ; was great precau- tions, and placed in a cave, which was blocked up with stones and concealed. But a certain man who had a devotion to Saint George, ' 2 saw him in a vision, and he said : Why have you imprisoned my body ? Bring me out from this place.' Then the bishop and the people did not cease to search until they found the body, and they brought it out and restored it to the church. Ibn al-Khafir, the wall of the here in the of Al-Hafiz Oases, came caliphate ; and he sent Fol. 93 b some men who carried off the body of Saint George and brought it ' to the wall's said : I will not restore it to the house ; and he Christians, until they pay me a large sum of money.' So the bishop and the chief men among the Christians brought him money from time to time, but it did not satisfy him, and he would not restore the body to them. Then God sent a cloud and a violent wind and rain and lightning and heavy thunder, during many successive days, such as had never been

' witnessed in that and it was said to the wall : this country ; Perhaps misfortune has happened solely because thou hast detained this body.' Then the wall sent for the and the to him and bishop, gave body up ; immediately the calamity ceased altogether. It is said that this bishop held his see for thirty-eight years, and yet he only placed the shroud upon this body twice during the whole of that time, on account of that

which he had witnessed with to it and he said to the : regard ; priests

' Take of this for I cannot or of I seen.' charge ; explain speak what have

of Az-Zabu with 808 inhabitants the total inhabitants. ; being 5,436 See

Amelineau, Geogr. p. 290 f. 1 The principal relics of St. George were, as it is well known, in the famous church named after him at see below. Lydda ; 2 The form l^i^y is worth noticing on account of the final vowel sound, expressed by the I..

1 1 2 260 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

It is said that the limbs of this body were not separated from it, but that it was found entire, and without any change. It is commonly reported among men that the body of this martyr is at the town of

1 Lydda in Syria. Some say, however, that the head is there, but that Fol. 94 a the body was brought to this country [of Egypt], because the governor of Egypt and the governor of Syria were two brothers, and, as Syria was filled with troops and marauders, the governor of that country feared that some be committed on the and so the outrage might body ; trunk, without the head, was brought to the Oases, because they are free from the incursions of and the of this troops depredators ; and proof is that the pilgrims who went to Syria to visit Lydda, that they might receive a blessing from the body of the martyr Saint George, said that saw the head without the and this was the Fast they body ; during

of the year 890 of the Righteous Martyrs (a. D. 11 74). The monastery of the Leper is in the Oasis.

Nubia.

2 the of the of Al-Maris which is a well- At Bujaras, capital province , populated city, there is the dwelling-place of Jausar, who wore the turban and the two horns and the golden bracelet. A certain traveller came to [the caliph] Al-'Aziz bi'llah and informed him that he had

1 The church of St. George at Lydda was restored by our own king Richard I. For an account of the relics of the saint and all information with regard to him see Acta SS. at April 23. 2 This passage with the following account of Nubia is to be found translated

in substance in ii. iff. 'the was Quatremere, Mem. p. 3 Maris (jUULpHC, South') the most northern province of Nubia, bordering upon Egypt. The south wind was likewise called Maris!. Yakut names Marisah ' an island in Nubia from which

slaves are See Wort. iv. 1 exported.' Yakut, Geogr. p. ; Al-Makrizi, Khitat,

i. p. is a; 'Abd al-Latif, p. 12. Al-Mas'udi gives, as the chief divisions of Nubia; Dunkulah and Maris see adh-Dhahab (Dongola), Mukurrah, 'Alwah, ; Murilj (ed. Barbier), hi. p. 32. It is well known that the northern extremity of Nubia between Syene (Aswan) and Pselcis (Dakkah), and later up to Hiera-Sycominos (Muharrakah), was a dependency of Egypt under the Ptolemies and the Roman Empire, and was called Dodecaschoenus. NUBIA. 261

visited a certain . city, and had seen a great wonder, passing man's that on the seventh of Barmudah a understanding ; namely, day city appears, with a wall, and a water-wheel going round near the city gate, and sycamore-trees, and cattle drinking from the cistern fed by the water-wheel and that this lasts for two hours in the and the ; day, horses and drink from that cistern then after that the go ; city disappears, and is seen where it stood and no one can reach nothing ; it, although it seems close to him while it is far off; and that city is called among Fol. 94 b the of that district the of Alfi and it is not seen people city ; again 1 until the same day in the next year . 2 The first place in the province of Mukurrah is the monastery called that of Safanuf, king of Nubia, which is in the country below the 3 second cataract .

1 A mirage of the same sort is described by Al-Makrizi, Khitat, i. p. m, in his article on Aswan. (A. J. B.) 2 Yakut writes this name Wort. iv. 1 and m {jj.a^> (Geogr. p. .0), says (iv. p. .) that the king of Nubia called himself

ijjjj Uy-'L* tLLo

' The king of Mukurra. and Nubia.' At the end of the seventh century of our era, the Coptic patriarch Isaac is said to have received letters from the king of Mukurrah (riOTpo irf~JUL

' viz. Korti, Ibrim, Bucaras, Dongola, Sai', Termus, Suenkur,' and refers for them to a letter published by the Pere Bonjour, entitled In Monumenta Aegyptiaca Biblio- thecae Vaticanae brevis exercitatio. M. Amelineau says that Makorrah extended from the modern Korosko to the ancient Napata (above Korti). The patriarchal biography in the compilation of Severus of Al-Ushmunain does not mention any letter from the king of Mukurrah, but states that the Isaac himself wrote to the of Nubia and patriarch kings Abyssinia (dlLj ,ji*il elL them live at and abstain conflict with one ibjJI), bidding peace together, from another; and that the wall of Egypt, Abd al-Aziz, suspecting the object of the

letters, caused them to be intercepted (Brit. Mus. MS. Or. 26,100, p. 126, 1. 25 p. 127,1.5). 3 I. e. the Cataract atWadi Khalfah. Mukurrah, or Makorrah, extended about miles to the north sixty of the Second Cataract. (A. J. B.) 262 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

The monastery of Michael and Cosmas is large and spacious, and possesses a sycamore-tree, by which the rise and fall of the Nile are ascertained every year. There is a monastery called that of Daira, near which there is an ancient temple, between two great mountains. A city called the city of Bausaka. This is a large and handsome city, full of people and of all commodities, and possessing many churches. Here dwelt the Lord of the Mountain, whose eyes were put out by George, son of Zacharias Israel. Here is the monastery 1 of Saint Sinuthius, in which Abu Rakwah al-Walid ibn Hisham was taken prisoner in the month of Rabf the First, in the year 397 of the Arabs (a. d. 1006). Near the town there is a gold-mine. Mountain of Zidan. Here is the monastery of Abu Jaras, in a town on the west, which possesses a bishop. It is a beautiful town on the mountain. At night a light as of fire is seen in this town from a if near to it cannot find it distance, but the beholder comes he ; yet it is continually seen as if there were many lamps in the town. In the in the district of 2 are seen same way, at Bagdad, 'Ukbara , many lamps on a certain night of the year, but they are not real. Fol. 95 a In the land of Nubia, near the cataract, there is a town called the Upper Maks. No one is allowed to pass by the inhabitants of this without even if he be a and if one place, being searched, king ; any

1 The surname of Abu Rakwah was given to this man because in earlier life he used to carry a pitcher on his shoulder in the prosecution of his trade. He managed to collect a body of armed men, with whose help he took possession of Barkah. The first troops sent against him by the caliph Al-Hakim were routed, and having made himself rich by plunder, Abu Rakwah next occupied Upper Egypt. Al-Hakim then sent against him a body of Syrian and Egyptian troops under Al-Fadl ibn 'Abd Allah who in a ; engaged Abu Rakwah hard-fought battle,

which ended in the flight of the rebels. Abu Rakwah escaped, but was afterwards taken prisoner in Nubia, as our author tells us, and conveyed to Cairo, where

Al-Hakim condemned him to be impaled. See Abu '1-Fida, Annales, ii. p. 616. 2 Yakut mentions a place of this name, which, he says, was eleven parasangs

from Baghdad; Geogr. Wort. iii. p. v.e. NUBIA. 263 pushes on and refuses to be searched, he is put to death. The people their in kind and and them is carry on trade ; selling buying among thus woven stuffs and slaves and done by exchange ; they exchange ; all that is bought and sold is exchanged. 1 this is found with which stones are At place emery , precious dive for it and the touch of it is found to be polished. The people ; different from that of other stones, and so those who search for it

it but if are in breathe it and then recognize ; they doubt, they upon it is covered with drops, and they know that it is emery. Emery is 2 found nowhere in the whole world except in Ceylon and at this place. There is near this town a hill on which there is a spring of warm water like that at Tiberias. Here also is the mountain of thirst, where no one can reach the water that is there, on account of the distance and and even if a man ascends to the of this mountain he the height ; top cannot reach the water, but can only look at it, although it seems to be

near to him ; and when he tries to arrive at it he cannot do so. 3 Town of 'Alwah . Here there are troops and a large kingdom with wide districts, in which there are four hundred churches. The town 4 lies to the east of the large island between the two rivers, the White

1 Emery is a species of corundum found in gneiss, limestone, and other crystalline rocks. Abu Salih is mistaken as to its rarity, for it occurs in many but the source of the places Sweden, Saxony, Spain, Greenland, &c. ; principal lies in supply the island of Naxos. (A. J. B.) 2 The name of Ceylon (Sarandib) was familiar to the Arabic-speaking world at the time of our author, through the reports of Arab travellers and the commerce of Arab traders. Precious stones and spices were exported from Ceylon to and See Al-Idrisi Wort. Al-'Irak, Syria, Egypt. (ed. Rome) [p. 42] ; Yakut, Geogr. iii. at Rel. des les Arabes et les Persans dans &c. p. ; Reinaud, Voy. fails par I'Inde, The name Sarandib is said to be of Sanskrit derivation. 3 Yakut writes the name Lie, and says it is to the south of Mukurra. Al-Idrisi writes as our author does. See Wort. iv. ac ij& Yakut, Geogr. p. ; Al-Idrisi (ed. Rome) [pp. 19, 20].

4 ' ' I. e. the island enclosed on two sides by the two branches of the Nile, the White Nile and Blue Nile (Bahr al-Azrak), for so it is now called. The town of Khartum stands at the junction of these two branches. The existence of four 264 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

1 Fol. 95 b Nile and the Green Nile. All its inhabitants are Jacobite Christians . Around it there are monasteries, some at a distance from the stream and some upon its banks. In the town there is a very large and spacious church, skilfully planned and constructed, and larger than all the other churches in the it is called the church of country ; Manbali. The crops of this country depend upon the rise of the Nile, and upon the rain. When they are about to sow their seed, they

hundred churches in the province of 'Alwah seems surprising, but it is clear that at this period Nubia was almost exclusively Christian. Nearly four centuries later Francisco Alvarez, in his story of the Portuguese mission to Abyssinia, expressly records the existence of ancient Christian churches in this same part of Nubia. His words are worth quoting (Lord Stanley's Tr.

' p. 352) : I heard from a man, a Syrian, a native of Tripoli in Syria, and his

name is of . . . that he had been to this and that there are in John Syria , country,

it a hundred and fifty churches, which still contain crucifixes and effigies of our

Lady and other effigies painted on the walls, and all old. These churches are all in old ancient castles which are throughout the country; and as many castles, there are so many churches. While we were in the country of the Prester John, there came six men from that country to the Prester himself, begging of him

to send them priests and friars to teach them. He did not choose to send them :

and it was said that he said to them that he had his Abima [sic : but read Abilna, i. e. Metropolitan] from the country of the Moors, that is to say from the

patriarch of Alexandria, who is under the rule of the Moors : how then could he give priests and friars, since another gave them ? They say that in ancient times these people had everything from Rome, and that it is a very long time ago that a bishop died whom they got from Rome, and on account of the wars of the Moors [Saracens in Egypt] they could not get another, and so they lost all their Christianity. These Nubiis border upon Egypt, and they say they have much fine gold in their country. This country lies in front of Suaquem [Suakin], which is the close to Red Sea.' (A. J. B.) 1 All the Arab historians and geographers who mention Nubia state that the

natives of the country were Jacobite, i. e. monophysite Christians. See e. g. Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. Ar.; Al-Mas'udi, Muriij adh-Dhahab, ii. p. 329;

Al-Idrisi i. (ed. Rome) [p. 19]; Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. Ma ; Eutychius, Annates,

ii. p. 387. NUBIA, 265

trace out furrows in the field and bring the seed and lay it at the side of the field, and beside it they place a supply of the drink called mizr*, and go away; and afterwards they find that the seed has been sown in the ground, and the mizr has been drunk. So again at the time of harvest they reap some of the corn, and leave beside the rest of it a supply of mizr ; and in the morning they find the harvest com- and that this is done of a different order pleted ; they say by beings from ours. 2 City of Dongola . Here is the throne of the king. It is a large city on the banks of the blessed Nile, and contains many churches and large houses and wide streets. The king's house is lofty, with several domes built of red brick, and resembles the buildings in Al-Trak and this was introduced who was ; novelty by Raphael, king

:: of Nubia in the year 392 of the Arabs (a. d. 1002). In that year Abu Rakwah, who is also called Al-Walid ibn Hisham al-Khariji, rebelled against Al-Imam al-Hakim bi-amri 'llah, and attempted to his but Al-Hakim defeated the rebel and his Fol. a ravage country ; ; troops 96 wintered at Takhum, in Nubia. It is said that the Nubians formerly worshipped the stars, and that 4 the first of them who was converted to the knowledge of the truth

1 Mizr is a kind of beer made by the fermentation of grain. (A. J. B.) 2 Yakut says : As- lUU dlilo dSiXo J^Jl Jo-L. Jj.U ^j I4*! hy}i\

1 The capital of Nubia is called Dongola (Dumkulah), and this is the residence of

the It bank of the Nile.' Wort. iv. at . king. stands upon the (Geogr. p. .) Al-Idiisi says that Dongola was five days higher up the river than 'Alwah

is called Old to it from (ed. Rome) [p. 29]. The town now Dongola distinguish New Dongola or Ordi. 3 The words iuJl dl* are inserted by mistake of the scribe. 4 It seems clear from Olympiodorus, Priscus, Procopius, and Barhebraeus that Christianity was not exclusively accepted among the Nubians before the reign of I but there Christians there in the fifth as the statement Justinian ; were century, of Cosmas Indicopleustes would prove, and probably as early as the reign of from the Constantine (Abu '1-Faraj, ed. Pococke, p. 135), and perhaps even time

m nt [II. 7.] 266 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. and the religion of the law of Christ was Bahriya, son of the king's sister, who was learned in the science of the sphere, and was wise and skilful. When he was converted to the religion of Christ, all the blacks of Nubia followed him and he built for them ; many churches, throughout the land of Nubia, and many monasteries, which are still flourishing, and some of them are at a distance from the river and some upon its banks. In the land of Nubia is the of 1 city Ibrim , the residence of the Lord of the Mountain, all the inhabitants of which are of the province of Maris it is enclosed within a wall. Here there is a and ; large beautiful church, finely planned, and named after our Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary. Above it there is a high dome, upon which rises a large 2 3 cross . When Shams ad-Daulah , brother of Al-Malik an-Nasir Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub the Kurd, brother of Shirkuh, marched into Upper Egypt, in the caliphate of Al-Mustadi, the Abbaside, after the

of the Apostles. See the discussion of this question by Letronne in his Materiaux pour Vhistoire du Christianisme en Eijypfe, en Nubie et en Abyssinie, p. 42, &c. It is said that the empress Theodora sent a mission to spread the monophysile in Nubia see Decline and ch. doctrine ; Gibbon, Ea//, 47. (A. J. B.) 1 The Latin and Greek Primis. It stands a few miles above Derr and Korosko, and must have been near the borders of the province of Mans. In the sixth century it seems to have formed the southern limit of the country of the Blemmyes, according to Olympiodorus and the Greek inscription of Silco at Kalabshah (see Letronne's Memoir quoted above). There are still some Roman remains there, although it was never part of a Roman province, and can only

have been an advanced post. (A. J. B.) 2 It is only in remote and desert places that the Copts venture even now to erect a cross over the cupola of a sacred building. Macarius, bishop of Jerusalem, is said to have been the first to set a cross upon a dome, according

to Al-Maknzi. (A. J. B.) 3 Al-Malik al-Mu'azzam Shams ad-Daulah Tiiran Shah, surnamed Fakhr ad-Din, was an elder brother of Saladin. In a. h. 569 he was sent to subdue a rebellion in Yaman. In a. h. 571 he was appointed Saladin's lieutenant at Damascus; and in Safar a.h. 576=June a. d. 1180 he died. See Ibn Khallikan

i. ff. Ibn Shaddad (trans. De Slane), p. 284 ; (ed. Schultens), p. 39. XUBfA. 267 extinction of the Fatimide dynasty, the last caliph of which was Al-'Adid li-Dini 'hah, in the month of Jumada the First, of the year

568 (a. D, 1 1 73), under the government of the Ghuzz and Kurds, he 1 invaded this district with his troops who accompanied him, and with Fol. 96 b those who gathered together to him [as he proceeded], and he collected the boats from the cataract. In this town [of Ibrim] there were many provisions and ammunitions and arms, and the [troops of Shams ad- marched thither and when had defeated the Daulah] ; they Nubians, left the town in after it and took the they ruins, conquering ; they Nubians who were there prisoners. It is said that the number of Nubians was and children and seven hundred 700,000 men, women, ; pigs were found here. Shams ad-Daulah commanded that the cross on the dome of the church should be burnt, and that the call to prayer should be chanted by the muezzin from its summit. His troops plundered all that there was in this district, and pillaged the church and killed the And a was found throughout ; they pigs. bishop in the so he was tortured but that city ; ; nothing could be found he could give to Shams ad-Daulah, who made him prisoner with the rest, and he was cast with them into the fortress, which is on a high hill and is exceedingly strong. Shams ad-Daulah left in the town many horsemen, and placed with them the provisions and the weapons and ammunition and tools. In the town a quantity of cotton was found, which he carried off to Kus and sold for a large sum. Before this time, Muhammad al-Khazin had captured Ibrim, in the days of Kaffir al-Ikhshidi, under the dynasty of the Abbasides. In the history of the holy church and in the biographies of the fathers and patriarchs it is said concerning Anba Kha'il, the forty-sixth patriarch, that when money was extorted from him, in the caliphate of Marwan al-Ja'di, the last of the Omeyyad caliphs, by the emir of Egypt, Salah ad-Din Yusuf the Kurd 2 and the went to , patriarch up Upper Egypt, to beg for assistance from the people there, and when Cyriacus, king Fol. 97 a

1 Cf. Al-Makrizi, Khitat, ii. p. rrr . 2 This is an anachronism due to the carelessness of a copyist. The emir in question was 'Abd al-Malik ibn Musa ibn Nasir. m m 2 268 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. of Nubia, heard of this, he was angry and filled with indignation because the was thus humiliated for patriarch and pressed money ; so he assembled his and marched towards 1 troops Egypt , accompanied by 100,000 horsemen and ico,oco camels; now Nubian horses are small 2 like the of the but have a of , largest Egyptian asses, great power enduring fatigue. When the Nubians entered Egypt, they plundered and slew, and took many prisoners, and laid waste many inhabited places in Upper Egypt, as they marched towards Misr. Now when the ruler of Egypt heard what was the cause of their coming, and was told as follows : 'When the patriarch of Egypt went up to ask assistance of the Christians in Upper Egypt, news of this reached the king of Nubia, and the king of Abyssinia, and [another] king subject to the of the of and was jurisdiction patriarch Egypt ; [the first-named] ' at the news then of released the indignant ; [the governor Egypt] patriarch from his obligations and ceased to extort money from him, and begged him to write to the king of Nubia and bid him return [to his own country]. So the patriarch wrote to the king as he was requested, and the king returned, and no longer acted as he had done, but departed to his own country. According to the history of the church and the biography of

1 This account is borrowed from the biography of the patriarch Kha'il in the

of Severus of Anc. Arabe 162 f. compilation Al-Ushmunain ; see Fonds 139, p.

i. Cf. Al-Makrizi, Khitat, p. 1 1 a . 2 The patriarchal biographer says {loc. cii.) :

; <-r>M ^4^>A> cuiu (_^JJ1 l*.x> Juili. ^j \4UJ_5 JiU.5 *^ jJJ ij] \jj*=*\ ^ XH\j .*Ji US Jlo j\^S J-p. lylSj 1^9 l^iL^ Jjlii

' It was stated to me by one who witnessed it with his own eyes that the horses on which the Nubians rode used to fight in battle both with their forefeet and with their hindfeet, just as their riders were fighting upon their backs. They were small horses, no higher than asses.' Al-Mas'udi also testifies to the smallness of the horses; see Muruj adh- Dhahab, ii. p. 382. Yakut says that the Nubian king had thoroughbred horses (jibe J-), but that the commons (i*U)l) had slow, heavy horses, of no particular b/eed (^ib); see Geogr. Wort. iv_ p. ac . NUBIA. 269

Anba 1 the brother of Al- Fol. 97 b Joseph , fifty-second patriarch, Ibrahim, Ma'mun, the Abbaside [caliph], sent a letter to Zacharias, king of 2 Nubia, asking him to send a tribute of slaves equivalent to the amount for fourteen years. But as the king could not do this, he sent his son 3 George to Bagdad, to Ibrahim. So Ibrahim rejoiced when he saw him, because, although the king had been prevented from carrying out the request that had been made to him, yet he had sent his son, than whom he dearer and Ibrahim also admired the submission possessed nothing ; of the exiled in to his father son, who himself obedience ; and therefore Ibrahim conferred upon the king all the favours that he asked for, and sent his son back to Misr, where he was lodged at the house of the emir, who was governor of Egypt. Now [George, the son of the king of desired to visit the father and and therefore went to Nubia,] patriarch ; see him, with great respect, and received his blessing, and asked him to consecrate an altar for him, that he might carry it to the palace of the emir where he was lodged. So the patriarch granted the request [of the and sent him a consecrated altar 4 and sent and king's son] , bishops priests and deacons to him, who celebrated the liturgy upon the altar, and gave the communion to the king's son and to those who were

1 Or Yusab. He the see from a. d. see occupied 831-850 (?) ; Renaudot, Hist. Patr. pp. 277-294. 2 From the time of the caliph 'Uthman, the Nubians were allowed to live at with their Muslim a tribute peace neighbours, on condition of paying yearly (k-aj) of 400 or 360 able-bodied slaves to the caliph. In the time of Al-Ma'mun this custom fell into desuetude, and for that reason Ibrahim demanded the arrears of fourteen years, which would have deprived Nubia of a considerable number of men in the prime of life. See the article on the Bakt in Al-Makrizi, Khitat,

i. cf. adh-Dhahab iii. pp. ni-r.r; Al-Masudi, Muritj (ed. Barbier), p. 39 ; Yakut,

Geogr. Wo?t. iv. p. at. . 3 This narrative is taken from the biography of the patriarch Yusab in the of Severus of Al-Ushmunain see Paris compilation ; MS., Anc. Fonds Arabe 139,

p. 250 ff. 4 This would probably be a portable slab, such as is fitted on the top of Coptic altars by a sinking in the masonry. Such slabs are carried about for the communion of the and are taken sick, by pilgrims to Jerusalem. (A. J. B.) 27 o CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

with him. The governor of Egypt also commanded that the wooden gong should be struck on the roof of [George's] lodging, that his friends might assemble at his house for prayers and the liturgy, as in his own country. This went on until George, the king's son, returned to his father in safety and with honour. And when the king's son returned to his father, the latter founded Fol. 98 a a large church, which he caused to be skilfully planned, in thanksgiving to God for the safe arrival of his son. This church was [afterwards] of Natu 1 who was sent Anba consecrated by Anba George, bishop , by Christodulus, the sixty-sixth patriarch. This patriarch also asked for assistance from the king, on account of the exactions from which he suffered at the hands of the government and of the Lawatis, in the year 2 737 of the Righteous Martyrs (a. d. 1030-1). At the consecration of the church, the Holy Ghost descended upon one of the vessels of water, prepared for the ceremony, and the people saw a light shed upon that water; so the king took that water in his hand, and carried it to his house and he to the to take to the ; gave bishop money patriarch, that he might be relieved from the extortion from which he suffered. Church of Al-Wadi. This is called after Saint Onuphrius. [The 3 it is called the desert of * * * and is at a distance place where stands] , of three days' journey from the extremity of Nubia, and at a distance of ten days' journey from Uswan. Solomon, king of Nubia, spent his time in God at this church 4 after he had abdicated. He worshipping ,

' said : Who is there among the kings that can be saved by God while he still men and that is not his governs among ; swayed by passions,

1 Close to the modern Sahrajt, which is in the district of Mit Ghamr, in the province of Ad-Dakahliyah in the Delta. It is the Coptic rt

p. 451 f. NUBIA. 271

and does not shed blood unjustly, and does not force men to do that

' which is not right for them ? The condition of this king was reported Fol. 98 b to the governor of the southern part of Upper Egypt, Sa'd ad-Daulah al-Kawasi, in the caliphate of Al-Mustansir bi'llah, and the vizierate of Badr and so the last-named sent men to take the Amir al-Juyush ; king away from that place, and to bring him to Cairo. And when he came to the gate, he was received with great honour and state, with a of a fine horse which he should mount and band music, and ; [the vizier] ordered the chief men of the state to attend upon him ; and afterwards he lodged him in a fine house, abundantly decorated with marble and wood-work and brocades of many colours interwoven with gold. In this house the king lived for one year, and [the vizier] visited him constantly, and conversed with him on many subjects, and listened to his words; and found that he sought God, to whom be power and glory, with all his heart and mind, renouncing all that men desire. So when the king had lived here for the space of one year, he died and was buried in the of Saint at Al-Khandak 1 in monastery George , the patriarchate of Cyril, the sixty-seventh patriarch. This king's tomb is within the wall that encloses the church, and is near the door, on the right hand as you enter. It is said that among his letters there was found a letter written in his own in Nubian characters 2 which hand, and , his and his and his asceticism and he was proved learning religion ;

' designated the holy king.' The kingdom of Nubia is composed of Nubia with its provinces, Fol. 99 a and the land of 'Alwah and Al-Mukurrah and the neighbouring tribes. It is said to be the custom among the Nubians, when a king dies and leaves a son, and also a nephew, the son of his sister, that the latter

1 The monastery of Al-Khandak, the suburb of Cairo, is mentioned by Al-Makrizi, who says that it was built by Jauhar. 2 to the ii. According Kitdb al-Fihrist, quoted by Quatremere, Mem. p. 37, the Nubians employed Syrian, Coptic, and Greek characters in writing, having borrowed them from the nearest Christian nations, as being themselves Christiaus.

' Eutychius, however, speaks of six kinds of writing among the Hamites,' and one

of these is the 'Nubian' see his i. At the {^.y), Annates, p. 55. present day, of the Nubians course, employ the Arabic character. (A. J. B.) 272 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

after his instead of the son but if there is no sister's reigns uncle, ; son, then the king's own son succeeds. The land of Nubia is under the jurisdiction of the see of Saint Mark the which consecrates for them and Evangelist, [their bishops] ; 1 their liturgy and prayers are in Greek . The number of kings in Nubia 2 is thirteen all these rule the under the of ; and land, supremacy the Great and all of them are and celebrate Cyriacus, King ; priests, the liturgy within the sanctuary, as long as they reign without killing a man with their own hands but if a kills a he no ; king man, may longer celebrate the liturgy. And this privilege of celebrating the is never restored to a but he enters within liturgy such king ; when the veil of the sanctuary, he takes off the royal crown, and stands bareheaded until all the people have communicated, and not one of is left has not communicated and then the com- them who ; king municates after the people, if he wishes to communicate. 3 is Pol. 99 b The town of Darmus , in the land of Nubia. Here there a church of the river elegant proportions, beautifully planned, and looking on ; and within it there is a picture of the Great King, and a picture of the governor of Darmus. [The former picture represents] George, son

1 This would be a proof that Christianity was introduced among the Nubians before the translation of the Egyptian liturgy into Coptic. That this liturgy was originally in Greek is proved by the Greek sentences which are still preserved in the midst of the Coptic versions, and by the existence of the Greek liturgy of

St. Mark, which is apparently the original of the Coptic St. Cyril. (A. J. B.) 2 This and the following passage are probably based upon a confusion of

Nubia with see fol. 1 b. In the same our author on Abyssinia ; below, 05 way fol. 105 a speaks of the king of Mukurrah as an Abyssinian prince. The number of chieftains under the Negus or supreme king of Abyssinia, on the other hand, was formerly considerable. In the sixteenth century there were seven kingdoms under the of the besides ten smaller than supremacy Negus, provinces kingdoms ; and in earlier times there are said to have been twenty-eight kings who owned

obedience to the Negus; see Tellez, Historia geral de Ethiopia a alia, &c, p. 9.

3 ' in the of Maracu e. is named Vansleb Termus,' province (i. Mukurrah), by

' as the see of one of the of Nubia in former see his Hist, de V bishops times ; Eg/ise

d'Alex. p. 30. NUBIA. 273 of Zacharias, king of Nubia, as an old man, sitting upon a throne of inlaid with and overlaid with his is ebony, ivory, pure gold ; age eighty his head is the set with and years ; upon royal crown, precious stones, surmounted by a golden cross, which has four jewels in its four arms. In the same town there is an ancient temple of great size, dedicated

1 2 to star of the Sun within which there is an idol * * * the , resembling , which has on its breast the figure of the moon, and is all of one piece. In this temple there are most wonderful and astonishing pictures and immense pillars, so that the beholder is filled with wonder and stupe- faction because men have been able to construct such works of so great difficulty. In this temple there is also a gigantic hall, which seems to be all of one it is roofed with slabs of to the spectator piece ; hard, black, polished stone, each of which is fifteen cubits in length, five in five in thickness and of these there are so breadth, and ; twenty-five, closely fitted together, that they seem to be one piece. In the same there is a well of which is descended and temple great width, by steps ; if a man descends to the lowest step, he finds vaulted passages, with in different the end of which is unknown so turnings directions, ; that, when he ventures into them, he loses himself, and will perhaps perish, if he do not quickly return. 3 Near the fourth cataract on the eastern there is a Fol.lOOa , bank, large monastery, upon a high mountain which overlooks the blessed Nile. 4 Town of Tafah . It is said that the prophet Moses, before he went out from the face of Pharaoh, was sent by the latter upon an expedition into the land of the Soudan, to make his way to the extremity of it. Now in this land into which Pharaoh commanded Moses to make his expedition, there were many adders and noisome beasts. But the

1 The Sun was regarded in ancient times as one of the seven planets. 2 Here there is a lacuna in the text.

3 The fourth cataract of the Nile is a little above Meroe.

4 Tafah still exists, on the west bank, seven miles to the south of Jartassi, in northern Nubia. It must have been in the province of Maris. The ancient temple here was turned into a church in the reign of Justinian I, like several others; see Letronne, op. cit. p. 37.

11 u [IT. 7.] 274 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Moses was wise and was assisted in all his actions so prophet by God ; he marched into the Soudan with his army, accompanied by birds such as cocks and owls, and entered into the uninhabited deserts where the ancient beasts and dwelt heard and noisome reptiles ; and when they the voice of the cocks and of the owls sounding by night and by day, they fled away and remained no longer in their habitations, but vanished from the of Moses and so he marched onwards and path ; saw none of them. Then Moses came to the city of Tafah, and halted before this and the saw the birds city ; king's daughter him, and with she loved him and so she sent him, and ; messengers to him offering to open the city to him, and pointing out to him the road which he should take in order to conquer the city, and thus she made the capture of the city easy to him. Other writers state that she was the daughter of the king of Abyssinia. So Moses captured the city by offering general and he to the and quarter ; granted immunity inhabitants, they brought him money. Fol.lOOb In this city of Tafah, there is a monastery called the monastery of Ansun, which is ancient, but so skilfully constructed and beautifully planned, that its appearance has not changed in spite of the lapse

of ages. Near it, in front of the mountain, there are fifteen hamlets. There is a church of the glorious angel Michael, which overlooks the river, and is situated between the land of Nubia and the land of the

Muslims but it to Nubia. Near it there is a ; belongs mosque which

has been restored ; and also a castle which was built as a fortress on the frontier between the Muslims and the Nubians, and is at the extremity of the Nubian territory.

Pliilae and Usivdn.

1 Island of Philae . Between the land of Nubia and the land of the

1 The Arabic ,j% preserves the Coptic T\lX^.KP,. The island is mentioned

v . Wert. i. i Al-Idrisi by Yakut, Geogr. p. ; by (ed. Rome) [p. 37] ; by Al-Makrizi, i. p. isi; cf. AmeTneau, Geogr. p. 347. We are now returning to Egypt with our author. PHILAE AND US WAN. 275

Muslims there are two stones upon a hill in the midst of the blessed river Nile and the Muslims to a and ; possess, opposite them, strong lofty fortress called Philae. This was built by Baruba and Saradib, and contains fortified dwellings, and the ruins of well-built edifices, the work of the ancients. Philae is five miles distant from Aswan.

Next to Philae comes Uswan \ the large frontier-town and the great caravan-station, and the last post of the Muslims [before you 2 enter Nubia]. In its neighbourhood are the gold mines . In the town there is an ancient temple, containing the figure of a scorpion, which the children are to touch on the 12th of Barmudah 3 brought every year ; and no scorpion will approach a family which includes a child that has touched that figure of a scorpion. The meaning of the name of Uswan is 'Swallow,' for it was built by the king for a body of Abyssi- Fol.lOla nians whom he made a guard for himself, and since they were voracious 4 in eating, he said to them 'Swallow!' From Uswan to Al-'Ula it is a distance of and to 'Aidhab a distance of four eighteen days ; days. The monastery called Ibkah is on a high mountain overlooking the river. Its church is named after the Michael and it has glorious angel ; a single dome of great size. It stands between Uswan and Kus. If any one steals whether little or much of the money which is brought to this church in payment of vows, his boat, if he came in one, will not off from the shore until he has restored the stolen and this put money ; is well known among the natives of that district, so that no one now makes any attempt to rob that church. There is also a church named after the Lady and Pure Virgin

1 Uswan, Aswan, or Suwan is, as it is well known, the Greek 2vr)vrj, the Latin Syene, and the Coptic COT

10 xxx. as It is the chief town of a district in the (xxix. ; 6) HJID. now province of Isna (Esneh), and in 1885 had 6,421 inhabitants. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. hi Al-Idrisi i. iiv p. ; (ed. Rome) [p. 21]; Al-Makrizi, p. ; Amelineau, Geogr.

p. 467. 2 See above, fol. 20 a. 3 I. e. April 7. 4 On the confines of Arabia and Syria. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. n.

n n 2 276 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Mary, which was founded by the king. It was consecrated by Anba George, bishop of Natu, when he was sent by the patriarch Christodulus to Nubia, to ask the king for assistance on account of the extortion from which he suffered at the hands of [Marwan] al-Ja'di, the last of the Omeyyad caliphs. It is said that the Mountains of the Moon 1 where the Nile are , rises, of a red are in the colour, and the land of Al-Karubis ; and country Fol.lOlb where these mountains are is burnt up with heat, and supports neither plant nor beast. In the land of the Soudan there is a river called the White River, which, when it overflows for a certain length of time, runs into a river called the Black which into the Nile from the east and when River, flows ;

the White River, which runs into the Nile, rises, then the health of the

people of Egypt improves; but when it falls, and the Black River flows [into the Nile], then the people of Egypt fall sick. This Black River rises in a black mountain, and flows over black stones, in an exceedingly black stream. Near the Black River there is a Yellow River, which rises in a mountain as yellow as saffron. The district of Uswan is inhabited by Arabs of the tribe of Rabi'ah and others. In this district there are springs of white naphtha in the mountains, which were found by the son of \Ain as-Saif, the governor, when he was at Aswan in the year 400 (a. D. 1010). In this ' ' 2 is found also the called of art and there neighbourhood clay clay ; is the and there is red and ochre. gold-mine ; yellow [There is in this district] a church named after the saint Abu 3 Hadri whose is within but it is in ruins. It stands , body preserved it, 4 on the island of Uswan . Near this church there is also a monastery, in which there were three hundred cells for monks, which are now ruined. The church was large and beautiful. There was also the church of Saint Mennas, which was solidly built of stone.

1 2 See above, fol. 26 b. See above, fol. 20 a. 3 He was a native of Uswan; see Paris Synaxarium at Kihak 12 = Dec. 8. 4 I. e. Elephantine. PH1LAE AND USWAN. 277

[There is also] a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary, which is but it was turned into a exceedingly large ; by Al-Hakim mosque. [There is also] a ruined church of the glorious angel Michael outside Fol.l02a to the the mountain and the of the Uswan, east, upon ; church saint and glorious martyr George. [There is also] a monastery of the saint Abu Hadri on the mountain on the west and it is inhabited monks. The of Saint ; by monastery Anthony is built of stone. It possessed several gardens, but the Arabs seized them and wrecked the monastery. There is here a church, named after Saint Ibsadah \ which stands in the citadel of the bank of the blessed river Nile it is Uswan, upon ; and said that this saint used to walk upon the water. In this district there is a black mountain of granite, of which was 2 constructed a bridge of great length, which was to be placed over the river from one side to the other it ; but has never been completely the from the time of the 3 until now disengaged [from quarry], giants ; and it still remains in the form in which they left it.

- 1 The Psoti who was of Ptolemais at the lime of the Coptic (HCliyf ), bishop persecution of Diocletian, and suffered as a martyr for his faith. Ptolemais is the Coptic Psoi (IICOI), named in Arabic Absai (^L^l), or, by its modern designation, Munshiyah, and still exists a little to the north of Jirja. The festival of St. Psoti or Ibsadah is on Kihak 2 = Dec. See at that kept 7 23. Synaxarium day ; Cat. Actes des Zoega, p. 237 ; Ame'lineau, MM. p. 30, and Geogr. pp. 381-383. 2 I. e. the well-known obelisk in the ancient granite quarry near Uswan, which although partly hewn into shape has never been detached from the rock. Yakut

the same it called the that mentions object, and says was Sakalah (illilJl), adding there is a narrow part of the Nile near the quarries, and that it was related that the intention had been to bridge over the river by means of this obelisk, while others said that it was the fellow to the obelisk of Alexandria. See Yakut, Geogr.

Wor/. i. p. ri> . 3 The admiration excited in the minds of the contemporaries of our author by the works of the ancient Egyptians is well expressed by 'Abd al-Latif, who says : e*io .Uill jXa *a,Uc1 fjli JjIj^I ,Jic ^wUiftl ^j JjjJl ys.c s-*-^-^ {j\j lilj lac ,jl e*JJij j^j>j! ,j-o ^r- jssM I45 \}^ lil ,4.! ,ju si! ^ i^c i6-'?-j *-^J 278 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Isua.

1 ' 2 District of Isna . of this word is Tree and there The meaning ,' was here a tree from India. There is here a church named after Matthew, the pious monk. It is said that when he was appointed bishop of this town of Isna, and came to the district, a certain Muslim provided a horse to carry him from the outskirts of the town, until he brought him to the cell where he was to live. And at the weddings and 3 other rejoicings of the Muslims the Christians are present, and chant Fol.l02b in the Sahidic dialect of Coptic, and walk before the bridegroom through

l^^^l JUc^ll Syft^Jlj ^* ,jXJlj J*ll S^.Lo^j AJ^tS! 1 When a man of sense beholds these ruins he finds himself able to excuse in the vulgar their belief with regard to the ancients that their lives were longer than ours and their bodies stronger, or that they possessed a magic rod with which when they struck the stones they leapt towards them. For the modern mind feels itself unable to estimate how much was required in these works of knowledge of geometry, and concentration of thought, and ardour of study, and patience in

labour, and power over tools, and application to work,' &c. (ed. White, p. 130).

1 ' Generally written in English as Esneh.' It is now the capital of a province, and in 1885 had 9,422 inhabitants. It was the Coptic CltH and the Greek Latopolis. Yakut says that the only places of importance in Egypt to the south of Isna were Udfu and Uswan, and that in his time Isna was a flourishing place

with much trade. See Wort. i. no Al-Idrisi Yakut, Geogr. p. ; (ed. Rome) [p. 49]; Amdlineau, Geogr. pp. 172-175. 2 Our author seems to derive the name from the Coptic OjRrt. 3 The Coptic church tones correspond to some extent to the Greek and Latin tones, and are called respectively the tones of Adam, of Watus, Sanjaii, Kihak, Atribi, the tone of the Great Fast, the tone for the Dead, the tone Istasimun. The tones most used are that of Adam

streets and this has become a the market-places and ; recognized custom with them, [and has continued] up to our own day. And on the night of the Feast of the holy Nativity, every year, the Muslims, as well as the Christians, burn candles, and lamps, and logs of wood in great numbers.

Armant and its neighbourhood.

This was called in ancient times 2 Armant \ place Armanusah ;

' and the name means Blessed spot.' The town was founded by Busim the king, son of Caphtorim, son of Mizraim, son of Baisur, son of Ham, son of Noah. There is here a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary; and when an altar was consecrated here in the year 801 of the Righteous Martyrs (a.D. 1084-5), some fragments of the vessels which had contained the water of consecration were taken and thrown into the

well within the church ; and the water rose until it filled half of the the marked the limit of the rise of the well ; and priests water, and the mark of it remains until now. Near this district there is a church, at Al-Khazarah, named after the chief of the Fathers and and it is written of this Peter, Apostles ; church that, when it was consecrated, the water overflowed from the vessels, until it overspread the courtyard of the church. Near Damamil 3 there is a church named after the saint Anba Michael. 4 Dandarah in is a town it was built one Upper Egypt large ; by

1 Now in the district of As-Salmiyah, in the province of Isna. It is the Coptic epJULOrtX and the Greek Hermonthis, and was, in the early days of Christianity, a place of importance and the capital of a nome. See Yakut, Geogr.

Wort. i. r 1 a Al-Idrisi p. ; (ed. Rome) [p. 49]; Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 165-167. 2 This is perhaps a corruption of the Greek Hermonthis. 3 Yakut and the revenue-list write this name 'Damamin,' but Al-Idrisi employs the same form as our author, and this is the form used at the present day. Damamil is now in the district of Kus, in the province of Kana, and had

568 inhabitants in 1885. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. ii. p. oao; Al-Idrisi (ed.

De Rec. de ii. Rome) [p. 49] ; Sacy, Abd-Allatif, p. 703 ; Vltgypte, p. 94.

4 ' ' Yakut gives Andara as an alternative form. The place is now in the 280 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

of the daughters of the Copts in the days of Manfa'us. There is here a well, square in form, the opening of which measures one hundred cubits side the entrance into it is which can be on each ; by steps, Fol.l03a descended by camels, oxen, horses, sheep, and all other beasts which drink the water of the well. In this district there is a most wonderful

as has never been seen elsewhere and it is said ancient temple, such ; that the giants who built this temple also planned the construction of the well. Kift and Kandh.

1 The town of Kift is the first town that was built in the land of

it was founded the son of who lived Egypt ; by Kift, Mizraim, 400 years, and was buried with his treasures in the Oases. From Kift there ' 2 is a a road to the mine of and a road to Aidhab , and emeralds, road 3 to the Sea of Na'am . There is here a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary, in which is preserved the body of the saint Abu Shaj. There is also another church of the and Pure and Lady Virgin Mary ; there is a church of Saint Severus. There is here a monastery of the Virgin, and a monastery of Saint Sinuthius, and a monastery named after Saint Anthony; and there is a convent of nuns named after Saint and a George ; monastery named after the martyr Saint Victor, and two monasteries named after the glorious martyr Theodore. There is a church named after the angel Gabriel at the top of the mountain in this district. In the middle of [the town] there is a pillar

district and province of Kana, and in 1885 contained 4,492 inhabitants besides 1,383 Bedouins. It is the Coptic HITerTTtopi and the classical Tentyris or Tentyra. The village of Denderah is well known to tourists, who here meet with the first great Egyptian temple which is to be seen on the voyage up the Nile, and which was as celebrated in the time of our author as it is now. See Yakut,

Wort. ii. Al-Idrisi i. i. Geogr. p. 11.; (trans. Jaubert), p. 125 ; Al-Makrizi, p. rrr, cf. ri p. ; Amelineau, Geogr. pp. 140-142.

1 Quatremere quotes part of this passage in Mem. i. p. 150. 2 See above, fol. 21a and note. s Apparently part of the Red Sea. FA'U. 2 8i

standing by itself, exposed to the sun, and marked with a scale to

measure the rise of the Nile, a work of skill, and the result of divine 1 guidance. The 26th of Ba'unah is the day on which the sun stood still for Joshua the son of Nun, by God's permission, until he had Fol.l03b vanquished the unbelieving Gentiles and giants in battle, through the changing of the sun into various colours and the double halo which round it and that when the sun shines on this appeared ; on day pillar, it is known, from the measure indicated by its rays, to what height the Nile will rise that year. 2 At the top of the hill is Kanah . In this district there are two monasteries which were restored by the Mu'allim Ishak, called Al-Azrak, the merchant, who was a native of the town of Kift. One of these monasteries is named after Coluthus, and the other after the glorious Michael. were then in ruins but the aforesaid merchant angel They ; spent a large sum upon them, and set them in excellent order, so that the monks came and lived to the number of and there, fifty ; he planted near them many trees and vines, and endowed them with property in land, irrigated by water-wheels, and producing vegetables, and other and the extent of this flax, wheat, crops ; property was marked out by palm-trees, planted in various places. He also of oxen for the water-wheels and presented forty yoke working ; he distributed much in alms before he died God rest money ; may his soul ! Fcffi.

3 The district called Fa'u is in the southern part of Upper Egypt.

1 This day corresponds to June 20, and the Paris Synaxarium, as well as that translated by Mr. Malan, commemorates the death of Joshua on this day. 2 Kanah is now the capital of a province, and in 1885 had 15,402 inhabitants. Its Coptic name seems to have been KUOriH, and the Copto-Arabic lists give the Arabic name as The more usual would corresponding Iij.9. form, however, ' seem to be Ls, Kana; and in English it is generally written Keneh.' In the time of our author the place was in the province of Kus. The Greeks appear to have called the town Kaivt) noXis. See Ame'lineau, Gfogr. p. 393 f. R Yakut names both this place and the monastery of Abu Bakhum which it

O [II. 7.] 282 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Here there is a monastery and a church named after Saint Pachomius.

This church is large and spacious, being one hundred and fifty cubits 1 Fol.l04a and cubits it has fallen into ruin. long seventy-five broad ; but now All the pictures in this church were composed of tessellae of glass, 2 and coloured and its were of marble but it gilded ; pillars ; was wrecked by Al-Hakim.

Ka millah.

3 Kamulah . Here there is a church named after the glorious martyr Theodore. The glorious martyr Mercurius also has a church here and there are two of two Michael ; churches the glorious angels and Gabriel. There are also two churches of the two glorious martyrs Saint George and Saint Victor, son of Romanus. There are also two churches of the glorious saints Sinuthius and John Abu Karkas. There are also here two monasteries of the glorious martyrs Aba Nub and Theodore.

Another Arabic name of the town is Bafu which is nearer to possessed. (\j>^.), the Coptic cb&uJOir. The Coptic life of St. Pachomius describes the foundation of the great convent here which bore his name. Fa'u is now in the district of Dashna, in the province of Kana, and in 1885 had, if its northern and southern divisions are added together, 4,743 inhabitants, besides 990 Bedouins. See Yakut, Geogr.

Wort. iii. a^i cf. his Hist, de S. p. ; Amdlineau, Geogr. pp. 331-333; Pakhdme,

p. 70 f.

1 These measurements are interesting if they can be relied upon. After so

' frequent mention of large churches, spacious and nobly planned,' these figures give at least Abu Salih's idea of a grand building. Taking his cubit at 1 ft. 6 in., the church of St. Pachomius would measure 225 ft. in length by 112 ft. 6 in. in breadth, truly noble proportions, surpassing all ancient church buildings now

remaining in Egypt, except possibly the White Monastery. (A. J. B.) 2 Another instance of glass mosaic. See above, on the mosaics of Al-Kusair,

fol. 50 b. (A. J. B.) 3 The Coptic KA.JUL0X1. It was celebrated for its palms and vegetables. It is now in the district of Kus, in the province of Kana, and in 1885 had 1,020

inhabitants. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. iw; Al-Idrisi (trans. Jaubert), i.

f. p. 127 ; Amelineau, Geogr. p. 391 US WAN AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. 283

Al-Ushmtinain.

l City of Al-Ushmunain . Here there are two churches [respectively] of Peter and Mark and two churches of the holy fathers ; [respectively] the and Mercurius and also three churches glorious martyrs George ; of the pure and lofty angels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.

Uswan and its neighbourhood.

\ The district called the frontier-district of Uswan, which is contiguous to the former district. Here, near the fortress, and on the east side of it, there is a church of the Four Living Creatures, beneath which there is a of water and beside this, it is said that the pool ; Diocletian, unbelieving emperor, shed the blood of many martyrs. Around this pool there was a wall, the greater part of which is now ruined. Fol.l04b The island of Bakik, to the west of [Uswan]. Here there is a church of the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary, containing several chapels, the greater part of which are ruined. There is also a church of the saint and glorious martyr Theodore. Island of Philae. Here there are many idols and temples. The island contains two churches, one of which is named after the glorious and the other after the Athanasius these angel Michael, patriarch ; churches are beside the cataract.

The House of Sanis stands on the bank of the river, to the west of and near it there are several churches the [Philae] ; overlooking river, but now in ruins. It is said that at Bashawah there is a garden, the property of Ibn Kamil, which contains a wonderful palm-tree, such as has never been heard of elsewhere and its is that it casts off ; peculiarity unripe dates, of which the kernel is eaten, and makes the most delicious while the outside is thrown and this is well and is food, away ; known, related in the book of An-Nasr ibn Zulak.

Kamiilah.

- At Kamulah there is a monastery named after the glorious angel

1 We have already heard of this place on fol. 76 a and b, &c. We return once more to Kamulah after the peculiar manner of our author. O u 2 284 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Michael, and known as the monastery of the Well, because in its neighbourhood there is a well of excellent water, from which travellers drink when they pass through this district. The monastery contains a is surrounded an wall it is said to keep, and by enclosing ; and possess the body of Saint Pisentius, superior of the monastery in Upper Egypt. Bu Harukah. Here there is a monastery named after the glorious angel Michael, which contains a keep.

Luxor.

1 Luxor . Before the gate of this town there are idols standing 2 like castles . Some of them have the forms of lions or rams, and are Fol.l05a standing upon their feet in two rows, on the right and on the left. They are [carved] out of hard black stone which is polished. Within the town there are also great idols of hard black stone without number.

Abyssinia.

Abyssinia. This country is under the jurisdiction of the see of 3 Mark the Evangelist . Abyssinia is the same as the kingdom of

1 The Arabic form the dual of Al-Aksur was often used Al-ATcsurain, (\J&$\), as the name of the place, e. g. in the Synaxarium, and the Copto-Arabic lists of places. The form Al-Aksur, however, is used by Yakut and Al-Makrizi, and is now vulgarly pronounced 'l-Aksur (Luxor). The Coptic name of the

is and the modern as it is well place n

of the site of the ancient Wort. i. Thebes. See Yakut, Geogr. p. rr* ; Al-

i. Ibn v. r. f. Makrizi, p. r.r; Dukmak, p. ; Am^lineau, Geogr. p. 234 2 The text has 'like that,' apparently referring to the signification of A l-Aksur, as remarks as a ' of ' which may be taken, Yakut (loc. cit.), plural paucity of the

' word kasr a castle.' The is intended for (j*) following passage obviously a description of the avenue of sphinxes which leads to the temple of Karnak. 3 As Tellez remarks :

' Depois que os Abexins tiveram noticia da Fe de Christo nunca tiveram mays que hum so bispo em toda Ethiopia, ao qual elles chamam Abuna, que quer dizer nosso. de todos de acima falamos Padre O primeyro foy Sam Frumencio, quern ; & assim como este Santo foy mandado de Alexandria por S. Athanasio, assim ABYSSINIA. 285

the Sheba *, from which queen of Al-Yaman came to Jerusalem, to hear of wisdom from Solomon and she offered him words ; splendid gifts. When the king of Abyssinia wishes to make the tour of this country, he spends a whole year in going round it, travelling on all days except Sundays and the festivals of the Lord, until he returns to his capital city. 2 Abyssinia is contiguous to India and the adjacent territory. A metropolitan is sent from the see of Mark the Evangelist to 3 from the of Alexandria in and this Abyssinia , patriarch Egypt ;

dali por diante todos os mays bispos ou Abunas foram mandados a Ethiopia da mesma Cadeyra Patriarchal ate" os nossos tempos, em que Roma mandou alguns Patriarchas como a diante veremos.'

' Since the Abyssinians have had knowledge of the Faith of Christ, they have never had more than a single bishop in all Ethiopia, whom they call Ahhid, which " signifies Our Father." The first of all was Saint Frumentius, of whom we have above and as that Saint was sent from Alexandria Saint spoken ; by Athanasius, so, from that time onward, all the other bishops or Abunas have been sent from the same patriarchal see, down to our own times, in which Rome despatched certain . patriarchs, as we shall see further.' {Hist, geral de Ethiopia a alta . . composta na mesma Ethiopia pelo Padre M. d'Almeyda . . . abreviada pelo Padre

B. Tellez, Sec, Coimbra, 1660, p. 93.) 1 Our author here seems to look upon South-west Arabia as identical with or forming part of Abyssinia or Ethiopia, an error akin to the confusion of Abyssinia with India which appears lower down. It is true, of course, that the ruling race of Abyssinia, the Geez, came from Arabia, and brought with them the Ethiopic alphabet. ' ' Josephus speaks of the queen of Sheba as queen of Egypt and Ethiopia {Ant. viii. 6); and Origen, St. Augustine, and St. Anselm, among others, believed that she was an Ethiopian sovereign. 2 Compare below, fol. 108 b, where it is said that Abyssinia and India are identical.

3 There are several references to this practice in the patriarchal biographies. In a. h. 596 = a. d. 1200, and therefore in the lifetime of our author and not long before the composition of the present work, an envoy came from Abyssinia to 286 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

metropolitan of the Abyssinians ordains priests and deacons for them. The king of Al-Mukurrah \ who is an Abyssinian, and is an orthodox king, is the Great King among the kings of his country, because he has an extensive kingdom, including distant regions in the north of the and has and he is the fourth of the of the country, many troops ; kings and no on earth is to resist him and at earth, king strong enough ; 2 a certain place in his country he possesses the Ark of Noah . Pol. 105b All the kings of Abyssinia are priests, and celebrate the liturgy within the sanctuary, as long as they reign without slaying any man with their hand but after a can no own ; slaying man they longer celebrate the and the conditions which are liturgy ; by they bound after they have killed a man have already been spoken of in this 3 book .

If any of the Abyssinians commits a sin, he takes a handful of incense of the kind which is burnt within the it is sanctuary ; composed of frankincense, of sandarach, of styrax, of ladanum, of mastic, of aloes, and of cassia then he confesses his sin over and throws ; [this mixture], 4 it into the censer with dried rose-leaves. , together r All the kings of Abyssinia are crowned with the royal crown ' in

announce the death of the metropolitan, and to request that his successor might be appointed. This is related by 'Abd al-Latif, who says :

' In the month of Shawwal an envoy arrived from the king of the Abyssinians, bearing a letter which contained the announcement of the death of their metro-

' and the his politan, requested appointment of successor (ed. White, p. 196). 1 See above, fol. 94 b. 2 The common legend in the East is that the Ark of Noah still exists on Mount Juda in Mesopotamia; see below, fol. in b. 3 This proves the confusion in the mind of our author of Nubia with Abyssinia; see above, fol. 99 a. 4 Cf. above, fol. 8 a and 9 b, with notes. The caliphs and sultans of Islam were never crowned like Christian but the sovereigns, tradition is that a gold crown was worn by the ancient kings ABYSSINIA. 287 the church of the "angel Michael, or the church of Saint George, beneath not the the their pictures. After that the king does wear crown, but metropolitan blesses him, and lays his hand upon his head, and fastens a band over his head and beneath his chin, and clothes him in a robe of brocade. The Abyssinians possess also the Ark of the Covenant \ in which are the two tables of stone, inscribed by the finger of God with the commandments which he ordained for the children of Israel. The Ark of the Covenant is placed upon the altar, but is not so wide as the altar it is as as the knee of a and is overlaid with and Fol.lOGa ; high man, gold ; its lid there are crosses of and there are five stones upon gold ; precious

of South-west Arabia, from the time of Hamyar, the supposed ancestor of the in queen of Sheba; see Wright, Christianity Arabia, p. 15. (A. J. B.) 1 The legend among the Copts and Abyssinians is as follows. On her coming home from the court of king Solomon, the queen of Sheba gave birth to a son, of wdiom he was the father. The son, named Menelek, was educated at home until he reached his twentieth year, when the queen sent him to his father to be taught the wisdom of Solomon, and besought the latter to anoint and proclaim his son king of Ethiopia before the Ark of the Covenant, so that henceforth there might be a line of kings instead of queens in Sheba. Solomon readily granted the queen's request, and after adding to the youth's name of Menelek that of David, and training him in the study of la\v and other branches of learning, resolved to send him home in state with a retinue of princes and noble pages.

Among the rest he ordered Azarias the priest, son of Zadok the high-priest, to accompany Menelek David to Ethiopia, and Azarias before starting secretly prepared a counterfeit Ark of the Covenant. This during sacrifice he contrived to substitute for the original, which he and his companions carried off with them to Ethiopia. Such is the story told with variations by Alvarez (Lord Stanley's Hist, de a translation), pp. 78-79 ; by Tellez, geral Ethiopia alia, p. 63 ; by Zagazabo in Danhauer's Ecchsia Aethiopica, cap. iv; and in the Arabic history translated by M. Amedineau in Contes et romans de VEgypte chre't. i. pp. 144-164.

Zagazabo's account makes the young prince carry off not the Ark itself, but only the Two Tables of Stone. With the Ark or the Tables, the rights of sovereignty of the house of David were held to have passed to the royal family of Abyssinia.

(A. J. 13.) 288 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

in upon it, one at each of the four corners, and one the middle. The liturgy is celebrated upon the Ark four times in the year, within the of the and a is over it when it is taken out palace king ; canopy spread

to the is in the of the : from [its own] church church which palace king namely on the feast of the great Nativity, on the feast of the glorious Baptism, on the feast of the holy Resurrection, and on the feast of the illuminating Cross. And the Ark is attended and carried by a large number of Israelites descended from the of the David x family prophet , who are white and red in complexion, with red hair. In every town of Abyssinia there is one church, as spacious as it can possibly be. 2 It is said that the Negus was white and red of complexion, with red and so are all his to the and it is said that hair, family present day ; he was of the family of Moses and Aaron, on account of the coming 3 of Moses into Abyssinia. Moses married the king's daughter . The eucharistic loaves of the Abyssinians are disks of leavened bread, 4 without stamp .

1 I. e. the royal family, who as descended from Menelek David, son of Solomon, are descended from king David his father. On the subject of

Abyssinian Christianity, the reader is referred to Tellez, op. cit., and to La Croze, Hist, du Christianisme d'Ethiopie (1739), and Geddes, Church History of Ethiopia,

London, 1696. (A. J. B.) 2 1 It is, of course, well known that the word Negus is the Ethiopie IT^P '. 1 The form ^,: has been borrowed in Arabic as J,? jc^LsJ- 3 This sentence is out of its place in the text. 4 The Coptic eucharistic loaf, which is also leavened, is on the contrary stamped with a design of crosses, each enclosed within a square border. The part in the middle is called the Isbodikon or Spoudikon (iC&O^IKOtt or CITO*tf2^IKOrc a corruption of Sea-noriKov), and the former appears in the Arabic IsbiidiMn, e. g. in the modern (1886) Cairo edition of the Coptic Liturgy in the rubric before intinction. Round the central design of the wafer are the words Holy, Holy, Holy Lord (

Tellez says of the Abyssinians :

' Detraz da Igreja para a banda do Oriente esta sempre hfxa cazinha, a qual he a casa das & nella ha se fazerem & vem a ser a hostias, apparelho para ; ABYSSINIA. 289

The Abyssinians use vinegar with water for their communions, or 1 water alone; yet this is not from want of wine, but is a custom inherited from their ancestors.

hostia hum bolo fermentado, o qual se nam guarda d' hum dia pera o outro, & se espantam de nos nam fazermos as hostias pera cada dia.' ' Behind the church, at the east end, there is always a chamber which is the bakehouse for the eucharistic loaves, and in it there is the apparatus for making them and the eucharistic loaf when it is is a leavened is ; made cake, but not kept from one to another and are scandalized at our not fresh day ; they making hosts

every day.' {Hist, geral de Ethiopia a alta, p. 97.) The cazinha of which Tellez to the speaks corresponds bakehouse (^j^sP o^o) attached to the as have seen fol. Coptic churches, we above, 30 b, &c. (A. J. B.) 1 Tellez says : ' O vinho a missa vem a ser d' esta trazem que preparam pera maneyra ; quatro ou sinco passas como ja toquey, que tern guardadas, as quays desfazem, quebrando as com os dedos em hum pucaro de agoa, mayor ou menor, conforme

a. da ha de todos sub quantidade gente que commungar ; porque commungam utraque specie ; & o mays certo he que sub neutra, porque evidentissimo he que a materia aqui nam he vinho, senam agoa, poys hum pucaro de agoa nam se pode tornar em vinho so com sinco ou seys passas.'

' The wine which they prepare for the Mass is made in the following manner : they bring four or five raisins, as I have already mentioned, which they keep in store, and these they crush by squeezing them with the fingers in a cup of or smaller to the number of for all water, larger according communicants ; they

communicate sub utraque specie, or more probably sub neutra, for it is abundantly clear that the element here used is not wine but water, since a cup of water cannot be changed into wine by the mere addition of five or six raisins.' {Hist, geral de Ethiopia a alta, p. 97.) Alvarez states the same fact; see Lord Stanley's translation, pp. 25, 28, and 412. The statement of Tellez is repeated by Ludolphus; see his History of Ethiopia made English by J. P. Gent, Bk. III. ch. 6. Danhauer also states that the Abyssinians used a chalice of raisin wine (vinum ex uvis, defectu vini ex recenti- bus uvis expressi, passis mira arte expressum), quoting Zagazabo as his authority. Our author agrees with Tellez that such a chalice is in reality one of water, not wine. (A. J. B.)

P P [IT- 7 ] 290 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

In Abyssinia there are many Muslims, each of whom pays a tax of x three afikhalis of iron, and these are like a broad spit, and have at the end the impression of the king's seal. Fol.l06b The king possesses, among his treasures, the throne of king David, which he sat to and all round and upon give judgment ; upon it, it, upon all its sides, there are crosses of gold. The fathers and patriarchs used to write letters to the kings of and twice in the and the last of them who did Abyssinia Nubia, year ; for the so was Zacharias, the sixty-fourth patriarch ; Al-Hakim forbad practice, which ceased from that time until now. Nevertheless when a letter comes from any of these kings to the caliph at Misr or his vizier, he bids the patriarch write a reply to the letter, with all the respect and reverence due from Christians, and all the compliments which are customary among them. The patriarch charges the king ofAbyssinia to avoid association with the Muslims, who are under his government. Formerly it was customary with all the kings of Abyssinia as well as their subjects 2 to have several wives . This continued until the patriarchate of Anba 3 the metro- Sinuthius, the sixty-seventh patriarch ; who commanded politan to bring them back from this mode of life to the mode of life existing among the Christians of Egypt and Syria, and not to authorize

1 Apparently a word of Greek origin. 2 ' Danhauer's testimony on this point agrees with Abu Salih's : reges olim sex aut septem habuerunt uxores, aulici communiter duas aut tres, ceteri pro lubitu

prout res domestica fert, alteram priori addunt aut superaddunt tertiam.' The

priests, however, were never allowed more than one wife (Eccl. Aethiop. cap. v. in 3). Alvarez (Lord Stanley's trans, p. 45) seems to say that places polygamy

' was common, and was not forbidden by the king or magistrates,' but only by the

' church. Yet every man who has more than one wife does not enter the church nor receive the sacrament hold him to be excommunicated.' But the ; and they

ban is easily removed. (A. J. B.) 3 This is an error. The sixty-seventh patriarch was Cyril (see above, fol. 44 b,

who ordained Severus of and it was this Severus &c), metropolitan Abyssinia ; who by exhortation and threats put down polygamy. See Renaudot, Hist. Pair. the P- 453- The date Teferred to is about a. d. 1086. Sinuthius (Sanutius), ABVSSINIA. 291 the and his to do as were then and after this king subjects they doing ; the Abyssinians refrained from following their former custom, and began to have each of them one wife only. [This patriarch] also established that in the rite of consecration of churches the same customs should be followed as in all the churches of and he bade the direct the to at Egypt ; metropolitan Abyssinians slay of the of a church twelve beasts 1 four the completion building , namely Fo].107a four and four three at each side of the church and oxen, sheep, goats, ; that they should distribute [the flesh] of all [of them] on the day when they ceased from the building of the church, as a gift to God who had helped them to complete a house in which offerings should be made to him and in which his name should be commemorated, and supplica- tions and prayers and praises should be offered.

sixty-fifth patriarch, occupied the see in the first half of the eleventh century.

(A. J. B.) 1 This custom of sacrificing animals at the consecration or completion of a church is quite unexampled in Coptic church history and quite against the Coptic canons. It can only mean, I think, that the patriarch sanctioned the maintenance of a purely Abyssinian practice. From the earliest times there were large Jewish settlements in Abyssinia, and it is probable that the custom of religious sacrifice derived from the Jews remained after the conversion of the people to Christianity, just as it remained and remains among the Arabs after their conversion to Islam. It must be admitted, however, that the Copts also retained the custom of slaying if not of sacrificing animals on certain solemn occasions. Lane instances the killing of a sheep or lamb at the bridegroom's house on the evening of a wedding, when the animal is slaughtered at the door the bride over its blood and he mentions that at and steps ; Christmas, Epiphany, and Easter, when the Copts pay regular visits to the tombs of their relatives, a buffalo or sheep is commonly slain and given to the poor as an act rather of charity than sacrifice. {Mod. Egyptians, ii. pp. 292, 296.) But the Muslim

sacrifices are far more numerous and more distinctly ritual in character [op. cit. i. pp. 67, 116, 302; ii. 221, 259, 268). The present writer has seen Muslim sacrifices with a propitiatory purpose both in Egypt and in Asia Minor.

(A. J. B.) P P 2 292 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OE EGYPT.

Saint Thomas.

The church of Thomas the Disciple and his holy hand, with which he touched the Lord's side, and which is still living, as a witness to the resurrection of the living Christ from the dead, and of his ascension into heaven. This hand is part of the body of Saint Thomas, which x lies in a church upon one of the Indian islands in the salt sea, which has been described by travellers among those things that are celebrated among men down to our own day.

North-western Africa.

Western Africa. The gospel was preached in this country by 2 the whose name means Lover of Horses. is in Philip Apostle , [There

1 I. e. at Mailapur or Sao Thornd, the suburb of Madras. It is not strictly an island, but there is water to the north and south of it and a great lake behind the and at the time of the the becomes almost island see town, monsoons place an ;

Germann, Kirche der Thomaschristen, 1877, p. 272 ff. It has of course been much disputed whether St. Thomas was buried in India or at Edessa. Assemani says that all old Syriac and Arabic writers agree that St. Thomas was buried at Calamina and translated to Edessa; see Bib. Or. ii. pp. 387-391. The question is fully discussed in Germann, op. cit. This author suggests as an explanation of

' the name Calamina, that it arose from the answer to the question, Where was

' St. Thomas martyred ? to which the reply in the Malayalim language was :

' ' ' Mailapur Calurmina,' i. e. On a rock near Mailapur {pp. cit. p. 43). 2 The statement that St. Philip preached in north-western Africa, especially at is in with of the Acts of that see Carthage, agreement some apocryphal Apostle ;

Acta SS. at 1 Die iii. ff. May ; Lipsius, apocr. Apostelgeschichie, p. 32 ; Wright, Acts the at Hatur 18 = Nov. Apocr. of App. ; Coptic Synaxarium 14; Conflicts of the Holy App., translated from the Ethiopic by Malan, pp. 66-76. The Greek accounts make St. Philip die at Hierapolis in Syria, and the Syriac account merely describes his mission to Carthage and says nothing of his death there.

The Coptic Synaxarium, however, is more explicit, and states that the Apostle was to death in that an carried his to put Africa, and angel body away Jerusalem ; but that subsequently the people all became Christians, and prayed to God that he would restore the sacred relics to them, which was miraculously accomplished. SPAIN. 293 this country] the church of Saint John, and a church named after the Lady and Pure Virgin Mary, which was founded by a travelling merchant in the year 931 of Alexander (a. D. 618-619). The country still further west is inhabited Romans and and hail falls by ; much snow there, and men and beasts die there. Carthage. Here is buried the body of the aforesaid Philip.

Spain.

Spain is the seat of the dominion of the Muslim Berbers of the Fol.l07b west and at its is the seat of the of the Roman ; extremity kingdom Franks. The book of Al-KJiitat bi-Misr 1 relates that when 'Amr ibn

c al - Asi 2 the emir of the fortress of Toledo in in , Egypt, captured Spain, the month of Rajab of the year 93 of the Arab dominion (a. D. 712), 3 through the agency of Musa, he found there a crown which was said to be the crown of Solomon the son of David, and also his table which was of encircled with and was alone dinars gold gems, worth 200,000 ; and besides this he found money and valuable treasures and precious jewels and vessels and arms beyond all price.

1 By Al-Kindi. 2 This is an error, probably of the copyist and abbreviator. Musa was not despatched to Spain by 'Amr, who had in fact died more than fifty years earlier.

? The capture of these treasures of Solomon by 1,he Arabs on the conquest of

Toledo is related by several historians. See e. g. Al-Makkari ed. Dozy, &c. i. p. 1 at; Al-Makin, Hist. Sarac. p. 85. Yakut says that Toledo (Tulaitulah or Tulaitalah) had been visited by Solomon, Alexander, and Jesus Christ. The treasures of Solomon were famous in Europe before the Arab conquest of Spain. Bello Procopius (De Goth. Bk. 1) says that among the spoils carried away from Rome by Alaric were the ornaments of Solomon, the king of the Hebrews, remarkable for the brilliancy of the sapphires with which they were incrusted. They had, he says, been captured at Jerusalem by the armies of Titus, and they were taken by Alaric from Rome to Carcassonne. From this city they must have been carried off the to iv. by Visigoths Toledo. Cf. Gibbon (ed. 1838), p. 129. (A. J. B.) 294 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

The Miraculous Olive-tree.

l 2 The called Anzar is near Marea there place wa-Afab , being a distance of three days' journey between them. Here is the church of the Pure Lady and Virgin Mary. The biographies [of the patriarchs] relate that at the door of this church there stands an olive-tree which 3 has no leaves it but that on the of the festival of green upon ; day that church, at sunrise, this tree becomes green while all the people

are looking at it, and its branches spread, and its leaves unfold, and fruit it and the fruit in colour and and appears upon ; deepens grows multiplies until the middle of the day when the tree is covered with Fol.l08a olives. Then the priest in charge of the church comes out, and takes some of the olives, which he presses, and with the oil of which he lights the lamps. And the people who are assembled pray, and receive the communion, and disperse to their own homes. Afterwards the priest in charge of the church collects that which is left of the olives, and has them and the church with sufficient oil for pressed ; they supply lighting the lamps during the whole year. This [story which has been related] was written by the sheikh Abu '1-Barakat Mauhub ibn Mansur ibn Mufarraj, the Alexandrian deacon, in the biography of Anba Christodulus, the sixty-sixth patriarch.

North-western Africa. The City of Darkness. Between this and the town of Al-Ikran

there is a river called the Jarjar, the width of which is 300 miles [or] 4 100 parasangs .

1 ' I. e. Most remarkable and most wonderful.' The i_> has been omitted

before J& 1 . 2 Marea (Mapela) is well known from the Greek and Latin geographers as a town near Lake Mareotis. It existed for some time after the Arab conquest,

but few traces now remain of it.

3 ' This story may be compared with the English legend of the holy thorn,' which blossoms at Christmastide. (A. J. B.) 4 We seem here to be in the region of pure legend. The statement is taken by our author from the Book of Clement (see below), which speaks of the river

near the of and that it was 100 in width Jarjar City Darkness, says parasangs ;

see MS. Bodl. Or. 294, p. 302. NORTH-WESTERN AFRICA. 295

l The town called Al-Luzariku is in North-western Africa, near and Paul 2 the and founded several Carthage ; Apostle preached churches there. of the latter is a church after the One named Pure Lady ; it is 3.000 great cubits in length, and 1,153 cubits in breadth. The river [Jarjar] was divided at this [town of Al-Luzariku], and thirteen different paths were made through it. This [town] was seen by Peter, chief of the apostles, when he visited it, according to the testimony of the Fol.l08b Book of Clement. The people of this town used to keep the feast of the idols on the 1 2th of and on this lyar, every year ; day they wove roses into garlands and placed them on the heads of their idols, and offered 3 them fresh honey and farik as-sabil from among their stores. 4 There was in the town of Al-Luzarikun a talisman upon the walls, which warned the people of the approach of a stranger, and then they forbad him to enter. That river [Jarjar], at the prayer of Paul, was

1 This name is apparently so written in the MS., but the copy of the Book Clement at the Bodleian writes the name and that this of Library j^5ol , says city is upon the shores of the Sea of Darkness (Atlantic) and near the confines

of the world; see MS. Bodl. Or. 294, p. 302. 2 The Bodleian MS. just cited relates the mission of St. Paul to this city in similar terms, only at greater length. 3 I to be written for as is written our suppose J-aJl JJl ,

is lowing words into the mouth of St. Paul, who describing his mission to this city :

Jufc dllj i <^Jlj> aJlJ Jis. \jS$ coo. Jdi^l *jJ\ jjlSj j\A j$i ij* l^JI ^i'Ulo*

' I arrived there on the 1 2th of the month of lyar, and on that day the people of that city were keeping a great festival, on which they made wreaths of roses and placed them on the heads of the images and they offered to the idols young leeks from their stores.' (MS. Bodl. Or. 294, p. 303.) 4 This is described in the Book of Clement, which states that it roared with like a voice thunder, saying :

' ' Here is a is to ! stranger who come you {loc. ctt.) 296 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

in divided by thirteen paths, and he baptized it 18,000 men of the city, and built several churches and Paul they large ; broke the talisman of which we have and at his God the spoken ; prayer planted olive-tree from which the oil is pressed which serves for lighting the lamps of the churches in this city.

India.

India. In this country there is neither heat nor cold, because x it is on the It is the land of which is equator. Abyssinia , also called 2 Al-Hindah. All its inhabitants worship the Buddhas and the sun and the fire. It is the land of and its shores are far from it is India, Egypt ; and contains a multitude of inhabitants it is very extensive, ; surrounded by the seas and the expanse of waters, over which ships pass from the coasts of on India lies to the frontiers of Egypt ; and, land, next Persia. Fol.l09a India in ancient times in the darkness of and 3 lay idolatry; Thomas ,

1 The confusion of Ethiopia with India is as old as the beginnings of Greek

literature and remained till its latest See Od. i. Herod, iii. days. Homer, 23, 24 ; 94

and vii. 1. 808 f. Bk. ii. 70; Aeschylus, Prometheus, ; Tibullus, Eleg. 3, 55 ; Virgil,

ii. 116 and iv. i. and xv ii. 1 6. Georg. 293 ; Strabo, ; Josephus, Bell.Jud. 4 ; Cosmas

torn. in ii. 60 Indicopleustes, ap. Migne, 88, p. 115; Epiphanius, Ancorat, p. E ;

Philostorgius, iii. 10; Procopius, Bell. Pers. i. 19, p. 58 C, D, and De Aedificiis,

v. 1, p. 109 B; Nonnus, Dionysiaca, xvii. 394 ff. Cf. Letronne, Mate'riaux pour I' hist, du Christianisme en Egyple e7i Nubie et en Abyssinie, where these passages are referred to. Mr. Thos. Wright in his Early Christianity in Arabia has a learned note in which he shows plainly the extension of the term India to cover Ethiopia and Arabia Felix as well as the great peninsula to which the word

is properly applied. (A. J. B.) 2 Cf. Al-Biruni (ed. Sachau), pp. ov, 01, vo, tap, for mention of Buddha (jS). 3 The question of the mission of St. Thomas to India is discussed at length in Germann, Kirche der Thomaschristen. The Syriac Acts of St. Thomas containing an account of this mission were published by the late Dr. Wright in his Apocr. Acts of the App., London, 1871, and they are probably as early as the second or third century in their present form. The name of the king Gondopherres or Gundaphorus is confirmed through modern research as that of Undopherres, who was reigning about half a century after Christ in the valley of the Indus. Cf. INDIA. 297

the greatest of the twelve, who was sent thither, announced to the people the message of salvation. This glorious apostle converted them from the worship of idols to the knowledge of the truth and the way of in salvation ; and he baptized them the name of the Father, the Son, and the and received from him the faith Holy Ghost ; they orthodox and built many churches. He ordained over them, as bishops, priests, and deacons, those of whose constancy in the faith which they had received from him he was assured he rules ; and taught them the of religious worship, and the consecration of the holy mysteries, and the rite of offering incense during their prayers and liturgies. So he led them to the knowledge of God. He also performed startling signs and extraordinary wonders before them, such as they had never seen or heard of, and confirmed their faith, until they abandoned the worship of idols and the offering of sacrifices to them, and learnt from the

Source of intelligence the extent of their errors and of the falsity of their beliefs. Thus when the minds and hearts of these people were enlightened, they set themselves to build a church to the great Thomas, who had been their and in this church guide ; which they erected to the great apostle Thomas, from whom they had received the orthodox faith, God manifested a to them the of great sign ; for, when building the church was completed, God sent the sea which covered the road leading to the church. And when this apostle was martyred, and had finished Pol.l09b his fight, and obtained the crown of martyrdom, his body was carried to this church and it in a chest of skilful ; they placed workmanship, and overlaid it with gold. And when they saw this other wonder after his martyrdom, namely that his right hand was not changed from its former and their faith was appearance during life, they marvelled, strengthened ; so they made an opening in the chest through which his holy hand came out, as a manifest sign to all who saw it. Now the sea which had covered the road to the church went back from it for every year ; God sent a wind which drove the sea back from the road, which was

Lipsius, Die Apocr. Apostelgeschichle, i. pp. 225-347. On the Coptic Acts of the Apostles see Prof. Ignazio Guidi in Rendiconti della Reale Accademia dei Lincei,

vols. iii. and iv.

qq [II.7.J 298 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

thus laid open for the assembling of the congregation at the festival of Thomas. For men came thither from all parts and walked along the road to the church, as the children of Israel walked, when the Red Sea was divided for them, under the guidance of the prophet Moses, who prayed for them before the Lord. So God showed a similar sign in our own time, through the prayers of this great apostle and his great dignity in the sight of the Lord, who confirmed his teaching by so mighty a miracle, which has never ceased. Thus the people who assemble at this celebrate it and receive and the great festival, blessings ; priests Fol.llOa celebrate the liturgy and take the holy mysteries, and dip the holy body in the pure blood, and place it in that pure hand *. Then all the people

1 This story of the communion of St. Thomas is to be found related by an oriental prelate who visited Pope Calixtus I at Rome in a.d. 1122, and who is called in the accounts John, patriarch of India. Two independent narratives of this visit exist; one in the Chronicon Alberici Monachi published in Leibnitz, ann. in Analecta Accessiones Historicae, ad 1122 ; and the other Mahillonii Vetera in a letter written by Abbot Oddo of St. Rmy to a Count Thomas. Oddo says

' ' that he was present at the patriarch's interview with the Pope. He states, according to the testimony of the Indian prelate, that the church of St. Thomas was surrounded by a river, but that eight days before and eight days after the festival of the apostle the water retreated so that the church could be reached on foot over land the of the saint was seated the and dry ; body upon bishop's chair, received in its open hand the offerings that were made, unless a heretic approached, when the hand at once closed. Albericus, whose account varies somewhat from Oddo's, adds that the host was handed to the apostle during the mass, and that the people received the communion from his open hand, which, however,

closed on the approach of a misbeliever. See Germann, op. cit. p. 165 ff. Another account of this communion-scene is to be found in the Itinerary of John of Hesse, who appears to have travelled in the fifteenth century, but who places the relics in the city of Hulna, four days from Edessa. Ulna is also the

' ' name given by Albericus to the episcopal city of John of India. The Itinerary states that Prester John dwelt at Edessa. The body of St. Thomas was placed in

the episcopal throne, and the communion is thus described :

' Missa igitur finita Presbyter Joannes, archiepiscopi et ceteri praelati religiosi cum aliis hominibus christianis devote areniculando. et humillime se inclinando INDIA . 299 receive the holy mysteries out of the palm of that pure hand, and they continue to communicate in this manner one after the other until the hand grasps one of the congregation : then they all glorify God, and the priests communicate the rest of the people. Afterwards the priests carry that chest in their hands with chanting and with great rejoicing, and set it again in its place, after the people have kissed it and been blessed by it. When this religious service is over, and as the people are about to disperse, they are blessed by that man, whom God has chosen out of the people to remain for a year in the service of that pure body, to keep the candles lighted before it night and day. The people also leave with him all that he can need, and all depart to their own homes. And when they reach the shore, and not one of them is left behind, then the sea returns as it was before, and covers the road to the church. This custom has continued without interruption for ages. When the people return the following year, they find that that man, who was left to serve the body of Saint Thomas, has died at that very hour l and is still warm . Praise to God, who is great and glorious in his saints, and works miracles for their sakes. To him be glory ! 2 Town of Kulam . All the Christians who live here are Nestorians. Fol.llOb

accipiunt sacramentum de manu apostoli. Patriarcha vero ministrat seu porrigit apostolo sacramentum ad digitos qui dignis tribuit et retrahit indignis. Apostoli autem manus stat aliqualiter elevata et semiclausa, et ob reverentiam duo archiepiscopi apponunt manus suas ad brachium apostoli, non tamen regendo manus ejus. Corpus autem apostoli est integrum et illesum cum crinibus et barba vestimentisque suis quibus vivus utebatur. 'Est itaque pannis pretiosissimis coopertum. Etiam ad praedictam ministrationem corporis domini serviunt duo alii archiepiscopi tenentes patenas sub manu apostoli.' See Gustav Oppert, Der 1 Presbyter Johannes in Sage una Geschichte (2nd ed. 1870), p. 189. 1 One of the first visitors to the church and relics of St. Thomas at Mailapur in modern times, the Portuguese, Diogo Fernandes, who was there in a. d. 1517, found an old man who attended to the lamps of the church, and stated that this office was hereditary in his family. The church was then in ruins. See Barros,

Asia Decada i. t. iii. ii. ff. Da (ed. 1777), pt. p. 223 In a. d. 1547, the Portuguese laid the foundations of a ibid. 226. new church ; p. 2 I.e. Quilon, on the coast of Travancore. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. 0.1,

q q 2 300 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

is a of the and Pure and a church There here church Lady Virgin Mary ; of the glorious saint and great martyr Saint George. 1 Fahsiir . Here there are several churches; and all the Christians here are Nestorians and that is the condition of here. It is ; things this that comes and this a from place camphor ; commodity [is gum which] oozes from the trees. In this town there is one church named after our Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary.

Arabia. 2 San'a in Al-Yaman. Here is the church called Al-Kalis, which was founded Ibrahim 3 who ruled Al-Yaman on behalf of the by , Negus, 4 of and is the same as Abraha al- Ashram whose nose king Abyssinia, , was mutilated in battle, so that he was named Al-Ashram. He built 5 this church, and decorated it with gilding and beautiful paintings,

and in his article on China i. ffp-poa. The discovered a ( cj~a!l), pp. Portuguese ' ' ' ' church at Coulam built of St. see cit. by disciples Thomas ; Barros, op. p. 235. 1 So the word is written in the MS. I can only conjecture that it may be a clerical error for Mansur or a in north-west India at ( j%^) Mansurah, country the mouth of the Indus. This country was particularly famous among the Arabs for camphor. See Al-Mas'udi (ed. Barbier), i. pp. 207, 377-379, and iii. p. 49. 2 The capital of Yemen (Al-Yaman). See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. fv . . Yemen was before the birth of the Christians of conquered Mahomet by Abyssinia ; see the account given by Gibbon in chap, xlii and Johannsen's Historia Yemanae, Praef. The story is clearly told in Thos. Wright's Early Christianity in Arabia, p. 89. (A.J. B.) 3 called Abrahah the Arab historians see Tdrikh Generally by ; At-Taban, ar-Rusul wdl-Mnluk (ed, De Goeje and others), prima series, pp. iri-ifr. He is famous as the general who attacked Mecca in the year (a.d. 570) in which the prophet Mahomet was born, the year called, from the elephant which accompanied the army of Yemen, the Year of the Elephant. Our author's description of the church of Al-Kalis is much fuller than that given by At-Tabari, op. cit. p. in* ff. (A. J. B.)

' 4 ' The scarred or ' mutilated.' 5 At-Taban says :

3^' &~~J *Lj sJl 11 ius.- silo J Us?" L-> X>J> *Jbt>^,a-9 i_^5j cL^lj i^ajjb J UL-i

cLvJb sil.cl.9 dL)i J l& Jl JLo la ^> r^v'b ^-"-s-s-*--a% j^ic AJj.jd.1 sJLuj Lapij ( ARABIA. 301

it with coloured marble and marble and all and paved [set up] pillars ; the time he was living and sleeping in the church. He adorned it with the most beautiful ornaments of gold and silver and gilded and coloured glass, and he overlaid the doors with plates of gold studded with silver nails, and silver studded with massive gold nails; and on the doors Fol.llla leading to the altars he put broad plates of gold, and he set them with precious stones, and in the midst of each plate he set a golden cross, in of a carbuncle the centre which was red, transparent ; and around these jewels were flowers of open work in various colours, so that spectators were astonished at it. And Abraha bid men make pil- 1 grimages to that church, and so they flocked thither from all parts. And he made for it a screen of skilful workmanship, composed of ebony 2 and sdsam-xvood, inlaid with pure white ivory, beautifully carved . So the fame of this church spread over that country, and those who had not seen it heard of it, and multitudes made pilgrimages thither, and votive and in the church and brought offerings ; many men lodged spent and there and the for those that day night ; king provided lodged there, and built chambers for them to dwell in, and erected houses which he made the property of the church. This king was a wise man, learned, loving God and doing good to men, just in his judgments, good in his life, honoured by all kings, without enemies who feared him, on account of the goodness of his life; according to the testimony of Fol.lllb the history of At-Tabari.

' He built this church in marvellous fashion, such as had never before been

with and wonderful and he wrote to Caesar to tell seen, gold paintings ; him that he intended to build a church at to be a monument of San'a, lasting fame ; and he Caesar to him in the work and so Caesar sent him begged help ; workmen and mosaics and marble' (p. iro). 'Caesar' was the emperor Justinian I.

Cf. cit. Wright, op. p. 95. (A. J. B.) 1 So At-Tabari, loc. cit. The announcement that Abraha expected the people to go on pilgrimage to San'a. and to neglect the Ka'bah of Mecca, so enraged the Arabs that more than one of them went to San'a for the express pur- of the pose defiling church, and this led to the invasion of the Hedjaz. (A. J. B.) 2 Many such screens are now to be seen in Coptic religious buildings, though of less perhaps magnificence. See Coptic Churches. (A. J. B.) 302 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Marur This is a church inclosed within a wall ad-Dair. strong ; 1 and it is now called Makbarat al-Hukama . In this district lived Abu Sharwan, the emir of Al-Yaman under Chosroes.

Thamdntn.

2 3 The village called Thamanin . The mountain of Karda is in this neighbourhood, and here the ark rested in the time of Noah, and went up from the mountain called Al-Juda. It is very high, so that there is no mountain on earth than it and from it there is higher ; a view of the four corners of the earth. The Pentateuch bears witness that to whom be sent a wind the earth and the waters God, praise, upon ; decreased, and the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were and the waters were abated after and the or ark stopped, 150 days ; ship of Noah rested in the seventh month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, upon the mountain of Karda at a village called Thamanin, according to that which has already been said.

Cities built by unknown Founders.

Among the buildings of which the founder is unknown, and which 4 I mention to the of is Ghumdan now a preserve memory them, , heap of ruins, such as are unknown elsewhere. 'Uthman overthrew it in the 5 of but its ruins remain until now. the days Islam, Aryat , Abyssinian, Fol.ll2a*who conquered Al-Yaman for the Negus, king of Abyssinia, laid Ghumdan waste with other cities, before the appearance of the Muslims.

1 ' I. e. Burial-place of the Wise men.' 2 In Mesopotamia near Mount Ararat. See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iv. p. 01 . 3 of Ararat. See Wort. iv. 01 A part Mount Yakut, Geogr. p. ; Eutychius,

Annates, i. p. 20. 4 A fortress in Yemen between San'a and Taiwan. Some said it was built by demons at the command of Solomon. It was destroyed by the caliph 'Uthman.

See Yakut, Geogr. Wort. iii. p. Air. 6 Sirah i. ta See Ibn Hisham, Sayyidind Muhammad, p. ; At-Tabari, op. at.,

prima series, p. in . COPFISTS NOTE. 303

San'a in Al-Yaman and Istakhr 1 in Fars and Al-Ailah in Al-Trak are in the desert. The history of Al-Manbaji relates that king Solomon, son of the prophet David, king of Israel, was valiant and a great conqueror and was feared and magnified, and yet was gentle and humble, merciful, of and free from or hatred that built chaste, quiet spirit anger ; and he 2 and made wonderful and named it of the Tadmor , things there, City Sun and that he built Durrah 3 which is in the midst of the sea and ; , ; built a great altar near the city of Kirun. of Aukir was built Kirun of stones overlaid with The city by gold ; and among the stones of the mountains of that country there are some that shine like gold, like golden and copper marcasite. When the building of this city was finished, it presented a wonderful sight when the sun shone upon it, unlike any other on the earth. City of Khauliya. This was built by a king called Jiyul, and he made its structures lofty. It became a great city, and was inhabited by the women, to the time of Solomon, son of the prophet David, upon Pol. 112b whom be peace !

Copyist's Note.

Here ends the work of the author of this history. For he was unable to make his work complete on account of the extent of the surface

1 The town which occupied the site of the ancient Persepolis. Many legends were told of its foundation. Perhaps the most popular account among the Muslims was that it was founded by Solomon, who spent the day there and the night at Tiberias or Tadmor; see Al-Istakhrf, passim ; Al-Mas'udi, iv. p. 76;

Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. ni . The first mention of the remains of Persepolis in modern European literature is to be found in the report of Giosafat Barbaro, the

Venetian in see vol. i. f. and the envoy 1471 ; Ramusio, Viaggi (ed. 1606), 107: first full accounts were given by the Augustinian friar Antonio de Gouvea, see his fol. and Garcia de Silva De rebus Persarum Relagao (161 1), 30 ; by Don y Figueroa, Epistola (1620). pp. 6-12, translated in Purchas, Pilgrims (1625), ii. p. 1533 f. 2 Tadmor was said, like Istakhr and Ghumdan, to have been built by demons for Solomon; see Yakut, Geogr. Wort. i. p. ai-a. The passage of Al-Manbaji may be found in the Bodleian MS. Hunt 4178, fol. 102 b. 3 There was a Darrah off the coast of Persia. 304 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

of earth in the east and in west he collected the the ; yet matter which no other has collected, and he devoted extreme care to his work. Nevertheless he was concise in his exposition, because he shunned in his narrative all amplification that was not necessary. That poor, wretched, feeble slave, the copyist, has copied what he found in his copy, without addition or subtraction, according to the * direction of the Shaikh Ar-Ra'is al-Akram Abu 'i-Faraj, son of the Shaikh Raphael, son of the priest Abu '1-Farabi, surnamed Sanduk al-'Ilm. This priest was the chief of the priests at the church of Al-Mu'allakah in the Fort of Ash-Shama' in the city of Misr. This book describes how the priest Abu '1-Ma'abi, son of the priest As-Sabi Abu '1-Fadail, son of the priest Al-Muhdab, celebrated the liturgy on the Feast of the Cross, in the church of Al-Mu'allakah, on the 17th of Tut, and placed his finger in the chalice, and it was immediately dyed with 2 natural blood . When the priest saw this great miracle, he was serving Fol.ll3a as a scribe in the Divan of the frontier-district of Alexandria, but he gave up his work and lived in his cell at the said church, with a covering always over his finger, and thus he lived until he died. May the Lord

rest his soul, and have mercy upon us by his prayers ! The work of copying this book was finished on Wednesday, the 2nd of the month of Ba'unah in the year 1054 of the Blameless Martyrs,

which corresponds to the 8th of Dhu '1-Ka'dah of the year 738 (a. d.

1338). May God give us a good end to this year ! That poor slave the copyist has attempted to abbreviate the book, as it has been said, without diminishing from the sense, but the task has been too great for him. He prays all those who read the book to accept the excuse from him who offers it. May God, who assists the right, help us all towards the salvation of our souls, and support us in temptation and in the trials of this life, and preserve us in the orthodox faith, and bring us in safety to the harbour of salvation.

Amen. Praise to God for ever and ever !

1 I here omit the complimentary epithets as untranslatable. 2 Renaudot tells a story of a similar event in Hist. Pair. p. 70. APPENDIX,

ACCOUNT OF THE MONASTERIES AND CHURCHES OF THE CHRISTIANS OF EGYPT;

FORMING THE CONCLUDING SECTIONS OF THE KHITAT OF

AL-MAKRIZI (DIED A. H. 845 = A. D. 1441).

Ibn Sidah says: Ad-Dair (monastery) is an inn [khan) of the Christians, 1 in the plural Adydr ; and the superior of it is called Dayydr or Dairdni. I remark that Ad-Dair is among Christians the special dwelling-place of the monks, and Al-Kanisah (church) is among them the place of assembly of the people for prayer. 1 3 1. the Cell at Misr . This stands beside the Mu'allakah Al-Killdyah' , Killdyah in the Kasr ash-Shama' in the city of Misr, and is the place of assembly of aged monks and learned Christians, and its rules are followed by all the monasteries. 2. The Monastery of Turd is also known as the Monastery of Abft Jurj, and stands on the bank of the Nile* This Abu Jurj is the same as Saint George, and is one of those whom the emperor Diocletian persecuted that he might renounce but as various such as and with did Christianity ; tortures, scourging burning fire, not bring about his perversion^ his head was cut off on the 3rd of Tishri, which is equivalent to the 7th of Babah. 3. Monastery of Shdrdn. This monastery stands at the boundary of the is built of and brick there are here and district of Tura, and stone ; palm-trees ; many monks are to be found here. It is also called the Monastery of Shahrdn,

1 like Abu also uses the and Al-Makrizi, Salih, plurals ijil\ i^IJIj^. 2 Wiistenfeld remarks that the commoner form is Killiyah, &.A2, which is nearer to the original KeXXlov.

3 ' I.e. Fustat Misr or Al-Fustat, now called by Europeans Old Cairo.'

r r [II. 7-] 306 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. and Shahran is said to have been one of the learned Christians or else a king. Formerly this monastery was known under the name of Mercurius, who is also when ibn called Markurah or Abu Markurah ; but afterwards, Barsuma at-Tabban lived here, it was called the Monastery of Barsuma. A festival is kept here in the fifth week of the Great Fast, at which the patriarch and the principal Christians assemble, and large sums are expended upon it. That Mercurius [whom we have mentioned] is one of those whom Diocletian caused to be put to death on the 19th of Tammuz, which is equivalent to the 25th of Abib; he was a soldier.

4. The Monastery of the Apostles. This monastery stands at the extremity of is the district of As-Suff and Al-Wadi *, and an old and small monastery. 5. Monastery of Peter and Paul. This monastery stands near Itfih towards is there is a festival of the south, and a small monastery ; here on the 5th Abib. It is also known by the name of Monastery of Al-Kasriyah. Peter is the greatest the and a tanner or a of apostles disciples ; he was fisherman, and was condemned to death by the emperor Nero on the 29th of Haziran, which is equivalent to the of Abib and Paul was a but after the ascension 5th ; Jew, accepted Christianity of and invited others to his so the him Christ, adopt religion ; emperor Nero put to death a year after the death of Peter. 6. The is also known as the of Monastery of Al-fiimmaizah Monastery Al-Jud ; and sailors call the place Jaza'ir ad-Dair (Islands of the Monastery), and it is 2 to Al-Maimun and west of the of Al-'Arabah it is built opposite Monastery ; in the name of Saint is also called a Anthony, who Antunah ; he was native of Kaman, and when the persecution of Diocletian was over, and he had escaped martyrdom, wished to substitute for it a discipline which should lead to a similar reward. So Anthony consecrated himself to the service of God, and was the first who introduced the monastic life among Christians instead of martyrdom : he fasted forty days and nights without taking food or drink, and watched through the and this he did the Fast night ; during Great every year. 7. Monastery of Al-'Arabah*. This is reached by a three days' journey on camels, and is among the eastern mountains; between it and the Sea of Al-Kulzum

1 Two places in the province of Itfih (Wiistenfeld). 2 Al-Maimun and Kaman were two places in the district of Biisir in the province of Al-Jizah. 3 This is the famous monastery of St. Anthony, near the Red Sea. APPENDIX. 307

there is a full ride almost all kinds (Red Sea) day's ; of fruits are cultivated there, and it has three -wells of running water. It was founded by the afore-mentioned

Saint Anthony. The monks of this monastery fast all their lives, but their fast only lasts till the afternoon, when they take food, except at the Great Fast and the Barmu/dt\ when their fast lasts till the stars come out. Al-Barmtddt means in their language a fast of this kind. 8. The Saint Paul 2 also called of Monastery 0/ , Monastery the Sons of Paul, or Monastery of An-Namdrah. This monastery lies in the country west of At-Tur (Sinai), near a spring of water where travellers halt. They have a legend that Miriam, the sister of Moses, when he encamped with the Israelites in the neighbourhood of Al-Kulzum, purified herself at this spring. Saint Paul was a native of Alexandria, and his father left to him and his brother a large fortune; but when his brother quarrelled over it he left him in his anger. Then he saw a corpse about to be buried and this him he ; made ponder, and went forward meditating it the until he settled beside this here he upon through country, spring ; and remained, and God supported him. Then Saint Anthony came, and remained with him till he died, and this monastery was built over his grave. Between this

and the sea there is a distance of three hours' it has a monastery journey ; garden in which are palms and vines and a stream of running water. 9. Monastery of Al-Kusair. Abu '1-Hasan 'Ali ibn Muhammad ash-Shabushti says in his Book of the Monasteries : 'This monastery stands upon the mountain on a level spot on the summit, and is a monastery of fine solid architecture, in a solitude it is inhabited has a well in the rock pleasant ; by monks, and hewn from which the water is fetched for it. In the sanctuary is the picture of Mary on a panel, and the people visit the place to see this picture. In the upper story

there is a hall, built by Abu '1-Jaish Khamarawaih ibn Ahmad ibn Tulun, with four windows on four sides he often visited this admired the ; monastery, and picture, because he thought it so beautiful and thirsted to behold it. The way to this monastery from Misr is very difficult, but the way from the south is very easy both in ascent and descent on the side stands a which is never the ; hermitage, quitted by

1 Wustenfeld, on the authority of Prof. Fleischer and Prof. Seyffarth, compares with this word the Coptic niepJULOTp (JULOvX) e^Olfrt. Is it not more the of probably Greek irapa^ovr], which was much used in Coptic in the sense 'vigil'? 3 This is the famous Monastery of St. Paul, near that of St. Anthony.

r 1 2 308 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. hermit who lives there. The monastery rises above the village of Shahran, and above the and the Nile the former is a and on the bank plain ; large populous village of the river, and Moses is said to have been born there, and placed by his mother in an ark in the but there is another which is called water ; monastery Monastery of Shahran. This Monastery of Al-Kusair is one of the monasteries which are much visited, and is one of the favourite pleasure-resorts on account of its fine position, and because it overlooks Misr and its environs.' Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam says in his Book of the Conquest of Egypt : 'There are different opinions about Al-Kusair; according to Ibn Lahi'ah it is not the fortress of Musa (Moses) the but of Musa the but on the other hand Al-Mufaddal Fadalah prophet, magician ; " gives a tradition from his father, who says : We came to Ka'b al-Ahbar, who asked us, Whence are you? We answered, From Egypt. He said, What do you say about Al-Kusair ? We answered, It is the castle of Moses. He answered, 1 It is not the castle of Moses, but the castle of the 'Aziz of Egypt, who, when the Nile rose, betook himself to this elevated spot, and therefore the place from the mountain to the river is holy," Others on the contrary say that a fire was kindled here for Pharaoh, when he travelled from Memphis to 'Ain-Shams the fire so when the (Heliopolis), and on Mukattam hills there was another ; people saw the fire they knew that he was travelling, and kept in readiness whatever he of the return stood in need ; and similarly when he made journey from 'Ain-Shams, God knows best !' The learned Christian historians say that of the to teach son but Arcadius, emperor Romans, summoned Arsenius his ; Arsenius thought that the emperor wished to kill him, and therefore fled to entered the the then sent a man to Egypt and monastery ; emperor say that he had to instruct his son but Arsenius only required him ; begged to be spared, wandered over the country as far as the Mukattam hills, east of ^ura, and remained three days in a cave until he died, Arcadius, when Arsenius was dead, sent and caused a church to be built over his tomb, and this is the place known by the name of the Monastery of Al-Kusair, and is now called the Monastery of the Mule, because a mule supplies it with water. When the mule leaves the monastery, jt goes its way to the water, and there a man stands who fills the vessel with water, and when he has done that, lets the mule loose and it returns to the monastery. In the month of Ramadan of the year 400, Al-Hakim bi-amri 'llah ordered that the Monastery of Al-Kusair should be

and the destruction and of it lasted several destroyed ; plundering days.

c AJ- Aziz is in the Koran a designation of Poliphar (Wiistenfeld). APPENDIX. 39

10. Monastery of Saint John*. Ash-Shabushti says: 'The Monastery of Saint John lies on the bank of the Lake of Al-Habash, near to the Nile, and beside it are gardens, some of which were laid out by the Emir Tamim ibn al-Mu'izz, and a pavilion built on pillars, of fine architecture, with paintings, also constructed by the Emir Tamim. Near the monastery is a fountain called the of Mammati near this stands a under which the Fountain ; great sycamore, people assemble and drink, and this place is a place of constant amusement, dancing, and pleasure, and is equally pleasant in the days of the rise of the Nile when the lake is filled, and during the time when the fields are full of crops and all is

and it is much resorted to the green flourishing ; by people, who amuse themselves here. Poets have of the and charm of this district this sung beauty ; and monastery is now called the Monastery of At-Tin.' 11. Monastery of AM 'n-Na'nd', This monastery stands near Ansina, and is one of the old buildings of that city; its church is in a tower, not on the ground, and the monastery bears the name of Saint John the Dwarf. A festival is kept there on the 20th of Babah. This Saint John will be further mentioned in the sequel. 12. The Monastery of the Cave of SJiakalkU* is a small monastery, hanging on the mountain and hewn of stone, on a rock below which there is a steep precipice so that it can neither be reached from above nor below. There are no steps, but there are incisions cut in the mountain-side and if wishes to ; any one ascend a long pole is let down to him, which he grasps with both hands, and by placing his feet in the incisions so ascends. The monastery contains a mill driven by an ass. The monastery, which rises above the Nile in view of Manfalut and Umm al-Kusur, stands opposite to an island surrounded by water called Shakalkil, on which are two villages, one called Shakalkil, the other Bani Shakir. The monastery keeps a festival, at which Christians assemble, and bears the name of Saint Mennas, one of the soldiers persecuted by Diocletian, in order that he and idols but as he remained constant in his might abjure Christianity worship ; faith, Diocletian caused him to be put to death on the 10th of Haziran or

1 6th of Babah. 13. Saint on the dam of east of Bani Murr 3 Monastery of Victor, Abnub, , below the mountain, at a distance of about 1,250 ells. It is a large monastery,

1 This is the monastery of St. John described by Abu Salih on fol. 40 a, ff. 2 In the district of Usyut (Wiistenfeld). 3 In the district of Usyut (Wiistenfeld). 310 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. at which a festival is kept, whereupon the Christians of the country from east and west assemble, and the bishop is present. This Victor was son of Romanus. His father was one of the generals of Diocletian, and he himself a distinguished and brave the but when he man, respected by emperor ; adopted Christianity, the emperor tried to turn him to idolatry by promises and threats, and on his refusal had him put to death on the 22 nd of Nisan or 27th of Barmudah. 1 14. The BuktursM north of is a small but Monastery of , Abnub, monastery, deserted, and has long been visited by the Christians only once in the year. Bukturshti was one of those who were tortured by order of Diocletian, that he might fall away from Christianity; he refused, however, and was put to death on the 20th of Hatiir. He was a soldier.

15. Monastery of AM 's-Sarf, built in the name of Saint George, near Al-Ma'sarah, in the district east of Bam Murr. At times it is deserted by the and at times inhabited at a certain is monks, by them ; and season a feast celebrated. 16. Monastery of Saint George of Khamds. Khamas is the name of a town, north of which the stands two festivals are in monastery ; kept there yearly, which

an innumerable multitude of people take part. 17. Monastery of At-Tair (the Birds). This monastery is ancient, stands far

above the Nile, and has a flight of steps to it cut out in the rock. It stands

' opposite to Samallut. Ash-Shabushti says : In the district of Ikhmim there is

a large, populous monastery, which is visited from all parts, in the neighbourhood of a mountain called Mountain of Al-Kahf (the Cave). At a place in the mountain there is a cleft, and on the festival of the monastery no Abukir bird remains in the without to this and from their their neighbourhood coming place ; numbers, assemblage, and their cries, a great tumult arises beside the cleft. Without ceasing, one after another puts his head into the cleft and cries and comes away, until one of them sticks fast in the and he beats with his until he dies and then cleft, wings ; rest so that the depart, no bird remains there.' The Cadi Abu Ja'far al-Kuda'i says : 'Among the noteworthy features of Egypt is the ravine of the Abukirs near Ushmiim in Upper Egypt. This is a ravine on a mountain, in which there is a cleft at which the Abukirs on a certain day of the year assemble, and betake themselves

1 I. e. St. Victor of Shu. ( Vansleb {Re/. d'Egyple, p. 366) speaks of une eglise dedie*e a Mari Poctor Sciu, qui a pris ce nom de la ville de Sciu, laquelle est ' aupres dAbnub, et aujourd'hui ruinee (Wiisienfeld). APPENDIX. 311 to the cleft ; and as soon as one of the Abukirs has stuck his bill into the cleft he and this does not cease until the cleft has held one of them goes away ; fast, all but the bird that is in the cleft remains whereupon they depart ; caught hanging until he falls to pieces/ The author, upon whom may God have mercy,

' adds : This is one of the things that have long ceased to happen.' 18. The Monastery of Bit Harminah is north of Ka'u al-Kharab; and to the north of it lies the ancient temple of Ka'u, full of wise inscriptions. Between the Monastery of At-Tair and this monastery there is a journey of about two days and a half. This Bu Harminah was one of the earlier monks, famous among the Christians. 19. Monastery of the Seven Mountains, near Ikhmim. This monastery stands at the of seven and stands between mountains and the entry valleys, high high ; sun rises upon it two hours later than generally on account of the height of the

at the foot of which it stands and when there are two hours before mountain, ; yet sunset the inhabitants think that the sun has already set and the night has begun, and they kindle lights. Near this monastery there is a spring of water at the exit overshadowed by a willow, and this spot where the Monastery of the Willow stands is called Wadi '1-Muluk (Valley of the Kings), because there a plant grows called Mnliikah, like the radish, by which water is coloured of a deep red, and it is used by chemists. Above this monastery stands 20. The Monastery of Al-Karkas, on a mountain, and hewn in its side; and there is is in no approach to it, but the ascent by incisions cut the rock, and by them alone can it be reached. Between the Monastery of the Willow-Spring and the Monastery of Al-Karkas there is a journey of three hours, and below the Monastery of Al-Karkas is a well of fresh water surrounded by Ban-trees. 21. The Monastery of Sabrah, east of Ikhmim, is named after an Arab tribe named the Sabrah, and dedicated to the angel Michael; but there is only one monk there.

22. The Monastery of Abii Abshddah (Psoti), the bishop, near the district of Atfah, stands on the dam and opposite to Munshat Ikhmim, in the west. This Abu Abshadah was one of the learned Christians. 23. The Monastery of Saint Or, the monk, also called Monastery of Sawadah. The Sawadah were a tribe of Arabs who settled here. The monastery stood opposite to Munyah Bani Khasib, and was destroyed by Arabs. All these monasteries stand to the east of the Nile, and belong to the Jacobites,

and besides them there are no others on the eastern side of the Nile ; but on the western bank there are many monasteries, because it is very populous. 312 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

24. The Monastery of Damilh, in the province of Al-Jizah, also called Damuh as-Saba', is built in the name of Saints Cosmas and Damian, and is a small monastery. The Christians state that a wise man called Sab' lived at Damuh, and that the church of Damuh, which is now in the hands of the Jews, was one of the monasteries of the Christians, which, in a state of great need, they sold to the Jews. The church of Damuh has already been mentioned. Cosmas and Damian were among the learned Christians and pious monks, and many things are related of both of them.

' 25. Monastery of Nahyd. Ash-Shabushti says: Nahya is in the province of Al-Jizah. The monastery there is one of the finest, most charming, and best- situated monasteries of Egypt, and one of the most beautiful spots inhabited by monks; it commands a wonderful view of the Nile, which surrounds it on all sides. When the water sinks, and the seed is sown, the earth brings forth rare flowers and different sorts of blossom. Nahya is one of the favourite resorts for pleasure, and has a canal at which all kinds of birds assemble, and many fish are caught. Poets have described it, and sung of its beauty and charm.' I remark, however, that this monastery has been destroyed. 26. Monastery of Tamwaih. Yakut gives this pronunciation, and adds: ' of this in one is in the of There are two places name Egypt ; province

Al-Murtahiyah, and the other in that of Al-Jizah.' Ash-Shabushti says : 'Tamwaih is on the west bank, and stands opposite to Hulwan, and the monastery commands a view of the river, and is surrounded by vineyards, gardens, palms and a It has a fine view of the Nile and trees, forming populous pleasure-resort. ; when the earth grows green, it lies between two carpets the water and the crops. It is one of the best-known places of pleasure and resorts for refreshment in Egypt.'

Ibn Abi 'Asim al-Misri has the following verses in the metre of Al-Basit :

' O that I could drink at Tamwaih of the bright juice, into the wines of Hit and 'Anat 1 which brings contempt , In flowery meadows

where the brooks flow between gardens ! The clusters of the red anemone which bloom there seem to be of wine in close succession cups appearing ; The flowers of the narcissus there, from their beauty, to be seem eyes secretly communicating by signs ;

1 the Hit is the Is of 'Anat is the Two towns on Euphrates. Herodotus ; and Anatho, Anathan, or Bethauna of classical writers. APPENDIX. 313

The water of the Nile, over which the zephyr passes, seems to clothe itself with ringed coats of mail. Hospitable chambers in which I have been sorely tempted in heart, when you were formerly my wineshops and my hostels;

Behold ! I shall not cease to beg for the morning draught, 1 when the clappers strike, in my love for the monasteries.'

I remark : this monastery bears among the Christians the name of Saint George, and the Christians of the neighbourhood assemble there. 27. The Monastery of Akfds, more correctly Akfahs, is now destroyed. 28. The Monastery at the extremity of the district of Manharah stands in bad repute, because the monks give no one food from thence. 29. The Monastery of Al-Khddim (the Servant) is near the canal of Al- Manhi, in the district of Al-Bahnasa, and is built in the name of the angel Gabriel. It possesses gardens containing palms and olive-trees. 30. The Monastery of Ishnin, named after the district of Ishnin, stands to the

is the but north of it, a small monastery, and bears name of the Virgin Mary; it only contains a single monk. 31. The Monastery offesus, or Yasii, is also called the Monastery of Arjanus. There is a festival here on the 25th of Bashans. On the night of this day a spring the of is closed and at the sixth hour of the there, bearing name Jesus' Spring, ; day people collect and take away the stone from the well, and then they find that the water within it has risen and to sink and from this now begins again ; they reckon how high the Nile will be that year, counting from the point to which the water of the well rose to the level to which it sinks. 32. The Monastery of Sadmant, at a short distance from Al-Manhi, on the high ground between the Fayyum and the Rif, bearing the name of Saint George, has lost much of its former estate, and is now partly deserted. 33. The Monastery of An-Nakliin, also called Monastery of Al-Khashabah, and Monastery of the Angel Gabriel, stands under a hollow in the mountain, called Tarif and this hollow is them known the name of al-Fayyum ; among by Jacob's Shade. They state that Jacob, when he came to Egypt, sought shade within it.

This mountain rises high above two places : Itfih Shalla and Shalla. The water for this monastery is drawn from the canal of Al-Manhi, and it lies below the

1 I. e. the wooden gongs of the church to call the monks to the morning service.

S s [II. 7.] 314 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Monastery of Sadmant. At the festival celebrated in this monastery, the Christians of the and other assemble and it lies on the road to the Fayyum places ; leading Fayyum, which, however, is only followed by few travellers. 34. Monastery of Al-Kalamun. This stands in a plain under the mountain- pass of Al-Kalamun, through which the traveller reaches the Fayyum, and which is called the Pass of Al-Gharak. This monastery was built in the name of the monk Samuel, who lived in the time between Jesus and Mahomet, and died on the 8th of Kihak. In this monastery there are many palms, from the fruit of x which the 'Ujwah is prepared. Here is also the Labakh-tree (Persea), which is found here its fruit is of the size of a lemon its taste is only ; (malum citrinum), sweet like the Ram)' (nux Indica), and its kernel is used for many purposes. Abu Hanifah says in the Book of Plants : 'The Labakh only grows at Ans'na.

It is a tree from which are sawn it sometimes excites ships' planks ; nose-bleeding in the man who saws it and if two of it are fastened and ; planks closely together placed for a year in water, they join themselves together and become one plank.' In this monastery there are two towers built of stone, both high, large, and

white within it is also a well of and outside brilliantly ; and there running water, another well. In this valley there are a number of old praying-places, one of which is the valley of Umailih, where there is a running spring and fruitful palms, the fruit of which is gathered by the Arabs. Outside this monastery there is a salt-marsh, the salt of which is sold by the monks of the monastery, so that these districts are provided with salt therefrom. 35. The Monastery of the Virgin Mary outside Timbudhd contains only one monk, and does not stand on a frequented road. In the district of Al-Bahnasa there were many monasteries now destroyed. 36. Monastery of BH Fdnd, north of Bani Khalid, built of stone, and of fine architecture. It belongs to the district of Al-Munyah, and formerly there were a thousand monks but two it lies on the dam below the here, now only ; mountain.

37. The Monastery of Bdlujah, at a short distance from Al-Manhi, belongs to the inhabitants of Daljah, and was one of the largest monasteries, but is now ruined, so that it only contains one or two monks. It stands opposite to Daljah, at about two hours' distance. 38. Monastery of Saitit Mercurius or Abu MarMrah. This monastery stands

A juice with which children are fed (Wiistenfeld). APPENDIX. 315 below Daljah, at the exit from this place towards the east. No one now remains there.

39. The Monastery of Sanabil. at the exit from this place towards the north,

the of the it is deserted. bears name Virgin Mary ; now 40. The Monastery of Saint Theodore, to the south of Sanabu, has entirely fallen into decay on account of the poverty of the Christians there. 41. The Monastery of Ar-Rairamiln, in the eastern part of the district of this

which lies to the east of Mallawi and to the west of Ansina it bears place, ; and the name of the angel Gabriel. 42. The Monastery of Al-Muharrak. The Christians state that Christ stayed at this place six months and some days. A great festival is kept here, called the feast of Olives, besides the feast of Pentecost, at which a great multitude assembles. 43. The Monastery named Dair Bani Kalb is so called because the tribe of the Band Kalb settled around it. It bears the name of Gabriel, but no monk remains therein for it is a church for the Christians of to the ; now only Manfalut, west of which city it stands. 44. Monastery of Al-fdwaliyah. This monastery stands at the extremity of the district of Al-Jawaliyah, towards the south, and bears the name of the martyr Mercurius, also called Markurah. It has revenues from land, and votive

and are to it two festivals are there. offerings gifts brought ; every year kept 45. Monastery of the Seven Mountains. This stands on the summit of the mountain which rises to the west of the banks of the Nile it is also Usyut on ; called the of Saint the Dwarf. Several festivals are here Monastery John kept ; but the monastery was destroyed in a. h. 821 by a mob which fell upon it by night. Saint John the Dwarf was a monk and an abbot, of whom many stories are told that he at the of his teacher a ; among others, bidding planted dry stick in the ground, and watered it for a time, and then it became a fruit-tree, of which the monks ate and it was called the Tree of Obedience. He is buried ; in his monastery. 46. The Monastery of Al-Mutill. This bears the name of the Virgin Mary, and stands beside the mountain, below the Monastery of the Seven Mountains, opposite to Suyut. A festival is kept there, to which the inhabitants of the district come ; but no monks remain there. The Monasteries of Udrunkah. The neighbourhood of Udrunkah is one of the Christian districts of and the Christians there are learned Upper Egypt ; living in their and in the and religion expounding Coptic language ; they possess many

S s 2 316 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OE EGYPT.

monasteries outside the city towards the east, beside the mountains; but most of these are destroyed. Among those still existing is 47. The Monastery of Saint George, a well-preserved building, but containing few monks. At certain times a festival is celebrated there.

48. Monastery of Ard al-Hdjiz (the district of the Dam), [also called] that of Michael or that of Karfunah, which bears the name of the Virgin, and is also Arfunah or which means Scribe for the of named Aghrafuna, (ypd

the Christians their here in it learned books of had seat ancient times ; stands on the side of the mountain, in which there are many caves, in one of which a man may wander for two days. 49. Monastery of Bu Baghdm, below that of Karfunah on the Dam. Bu Bagham was a soldier in the days of Diocletian, and adopted Christianity, and was scourged that he might abjure his faith. He was put to death on the 28th of Kanun the First, which is equivalent to the 2nd of Kihak. 50. Monastery of Saint Severus on the Dam of Udrunkah, named after the Severus was a was and at his Virgin. respected monk, who made patriarch ; death a miracle took place. He had foretold to the monks, when he went to die the Upper Egypt, that when he should mountain would split, and a great piece of it fall the without it one a of the mountain upon church, injuring ; and day piece fell, as he had said, and then the monks of the monastery knew that Severus was dead and when reckoned found that that event to ; they up they corresponded the time of his death; and they called the monastery from that time after his name. 51. Monastery of Saint Theodore, below the Monastery of Saint Severus.

Severus and Theodore were two soldiers of Diocletian : one was called the slayer of the the other was commander of the both were to death as dragon, troops ; put others were put to death. 52. Monastery of Minshdk or Minsak or Bant Sdk or Isdk, which bore the name of the i. e. Mar and afterwards was Virgin Mariham, Maryam (Saint Mary) ; known by the name of Minsak, who was an old monk celebrated among them. Below this there is a well the of the drink monastery on dam which monks ; and when the Nile rises they drink the water out of it. 53. The Monastery of the Apostles below that of Minsak is also called the of Tamarisks. It to the district of while the Monastery belongs Biitij ; Monastery of Severus belongs to the inhabitants of Rifah, that of Karfunah to the inhabitants of Suyut, and that of Saint George to the inhabitants of Udrunkah. The Tamarisk stood in a desert monastery place, but a small village was built beside it, called APPENDIX. 317

Munsha'at ash-Shaikh (new building of the Shaikh), because the Shaikh Abu

Bakr ash-Shadali laid the foundation of it; and he also laid out a large garden, on the site of which he had found a well, containing a treasure. An eye-witness told me that, among the gold, four-cornered dinars were found, having a cross represented on one of their sides, and the weight of each dinar was \\ mithkal. The above-mentioned Monasteries of Udrunkah stand near to one another, and between them are numerous caves in which there are tablets painted with characters in the old style, as in the ancient temples, adorned with different bright colours,

- and containing manifold learning. The Monaster) of the Seven Mountains, that of Al-Mutill, and that of the Scribe stood outside Suyfit among the caves, and on both the dams there are said to have been 360 monasteries, and the traveller went from Al-Badrashain to Asfun, continually in the shade of the gardens. Now this part is laid waste, and deserted by its inhabitants. 54. Monastery of Mushah. Mushah stands to the south of Suyut. The monastery is dedicated to Thomas, the Apostle of India, and stands among the gardens in the neighbourhood of Rifah. When the Nile rises, it can only be reached by boat. It has several festivals. The Christians of these monasteries generally understand the Sahidic dialect of Coptic, which is the chief branch of the after it follows the Buhairic dialect. The Coptic language ; (Memphitic) Christian women of Upper Egypt and their children can hardly speak anything but the Sahidic dialect of also a Coptic ; they have, however, perfect knowledge of the Greek language. 55. Monastery of Saint Macrobhis. Abu Makrufah is the name of the place where this monastery stands. It is hewn out at the foot of the mountain, and there are caves in it it bears the name of the the many ; Virgin. Among Christians of Makrufah there are many shepherds and herdsmen, who however are usually savages, and few among them can read or write. The monastery lacks water. 56. Monastery of Bil Baghdm, before Tima, the inhabitants of which are Christians, and were formerly learned men. 57. The Monastery of Saint Sinuthius, also called the White Monastery, stands to the west of the district of Suhaj. It is built of stone, but is now in ruins, and only the church remains. It is said to have possessed land to the extent of 4f feddans, of which only one feddan is left. It is an ancient monastery. 58. The Red Monastery, also called that of Abu Bisha'i, stands to the north of the White Monastery, at a distance of about three hours, and is a small monastery built of red brick. This Abu Bisha'i was a monk and contemporary 31 8 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

of Sinuthius, who was his pupil, and under him were 3,000 monks; he had another monastery also in the desert of Shihat.

59. The Monastery of Bu Mtsds or Bu Musis (llo^s), i. e. Moses. This monastery stands below Al-Bulyana, and is a large monastery. This Saint Moses was a monk, born at Al-Bulyana, and is revered there, and counted a saint; they relate many histories of him which deserve no credit. After this there remain only the scantily-inhabited monasteries on the Dam of Isna and Nakadah. At Asfun there was a Asfun itself large monastery ; and was one of the finest towns of and the most fruitful district of Egypt ; Upper Egypt ; and the monks of the monastery there were famous for their learning and With its also was this intelligence. Asfun, monastery destroyed ; and was the most remote of the monasteries of but are all Upper Egypt ; they destroyed and forgotten, though in former times they were so populous and their monks so numerous, their estates so large, and the offerings made to them so valuable. As for the northern provinces, there were many monasteries there which have been destroyed; but some still remain. Near Al-Maks, outside Cairo, towards the north, there were several churches which Al-Hakim bi-amri 'llah Abu 'Ah al-Mansur caused to be on the of Dhu a.h. and he destroyed 19th '1-Hijjah, 393 ; gave away all that was in them, and thus much was plundered from them, after he had, in the month of Rabi' the First of the same year, already destroyed the churches of Rashidah, east of the city of Misr, and instead of them had built a mosque which is known as Rashidah. Then he destroyed in a.h. 394, two churches in the same place, and forced the Christians to wear black garments and a girdle, took away the possessions of the churches and monasteries and gave them to the Divan of the government, burnt a number of crosses, forbad the Christians to decorate the churches on Palm-Sunday, oppressed them and had many of them scourged. In the island of Raudah there was a church near the Nilometer, which was destroyed by As-Salih Nijm ad-Din Ayyub in a. h. 638. In the district of Abu 'n-Numrus there was a church, the destruction of which was suggested by a man from Az-Ziyali'ah, because he had heard the sound of the wooden gongs with which on the Friday night announcement was made in that church. During the reign of Al-Malik al-Ashraf Sha'ban ibn Husain he had been able to do nothing against this on account of the in which the were held respect Copts ; then he allied himself with the great Emir Barkuk, who was administrator of the government, until he destroyed the church with the help of the Cadi Jamal ad-Din Muhammad al-'Ajami, superintendent of the market at Cairo, on the 8th of Ramadan in the year 780. It was turned into a mosque. APPENDIX. 319

60. The Monastery of Al-Khanddk (the Moat), beyond Cairo, towards the north, was built by the commander Jauhar instead of a monastery which he had destroyed in Cairo, in the neighbourhood of the mosque of Al-Akmar, where the well is which is now called Bi'r al-'Azama and was formerly called Bi'r al-'Izam (well of bones), because he had the bones contained in that monastery carried away and brought to the Monastery of Al-Khandak. On the 24th of Shawwal, a. h. 678, in the reign of Al-Malik al-Mansur Kala un, this monastery was

but afterwards it was renewed and he also built two other churches destroyed, ; which shall, if God will, be described below among the churches. 61. The Monastery of Cyriacus. This monastery was also known by the name of Saint Or, and a festival is kept there at which the people assemble. A wonder took place there, related as follows by Ash-Shabushti. If a man had the scrofula (khandzir) the superior of the monastery took him, made him lie on his side, and brought a pig (khinzir) to him, which licked the sore place, and devoured the but without the the was clear of the tumours, touching healthy part ; when part disease, the superior, after strewing upon it some of the ashes of a pig which had already been employed for a similar operation, anointed the man with the oil from the church-lamp, and thus he was healed. Then the pig which had eaten the tumours of the sick man was taken, slain, and burnt, and its ashes were prepared for a similar treatment. The monastery therefore was much visited by those who suffered from this complaint, and it contained a large number of Christians. 62. The Monastery of Atrib, also called by the name of the Lady Mary, keeps a festival on the 21st of Ba'unah ; and Ash-Shabushti relates that on this festival a white dove comes flies into the not know whence it and sanctuary ; they do comes, and only see it on that day of the year. I remark that this monastery has been destroyed so that only three monks are left, but the people still assemble on that festival; the monastery lies on the bank of the Nile, near Banha al-'Asal. 63. Monastery of Al-Maghtas (the Tank) is beside the saline marshes, near the lake of Al-Burlus, and hither Christians make pilgrimages from the north and south of Egypt, as to the Church of the Resurrection. This takes place on a festival kept in the month of Bashans, which they call the Festival of the Appearance, because they state that upon this day the Virgin appeared, and they relate many things which are to be accounted lies. Beyond this monastery there are no a small towards the south-east and in the buildings except building ; is the salt-marsh from which the Rashidic e. of salt is neighbourhood (i. Rosetta) obtained. This monastery was destroyed in Ramadan, a. h. 841, during a rising of some fakirs who joined together for the purpose. 320 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

64. The Monastery of Al-'Askar (the Troops) is in the salt district, at a day's of under the of the in distance from the Monastery Al-Maghtas, name Apostles ; its is the salt-marsh from which the Rashidic salt comes neighbourhood ; only one monk remains. 65. The Monastery of famydnah, named after Saint George, is near the of at three hours' distance the festival there falls Monastery Al-'Askar, ; closely after that of of no one lives there. the Monastery Al-Maghtas ; now 66. The Monastery of Al-Maimah, near that of Al-'Askar, was formerly in excellent circumstances, and in old times there was no monastery in the north which had more than this but its died and it was monks ; prosperity away destroyed ; then the soldiers settled there and it was rebuilt. Besides these four monasteries there is no other in the salt district. As for Wadi Habib, also called Wadi 'n-Natrun, or the desert of Shihat, or the desert of Askit, or Mizan al-Kulub, there were formerly there ioo monasteries but afterwards seven out towards the west of ; only remained, spread the plain lying between the province of Al-Buhairah and the Fayyum, where sandy flats alternate with salt-marshes, waterless deserts, and dangerous rocks. The monks took their drinking-water from cisterns, and the Christians brought them presents and alms. At the present day the monasteries are in ruins. Christian historians relate that 70,000 monks from these monasteries met 'Arar ibn al-Asi, each carrying a staff; when they had declared their submission to him, he wrote to them a letter which still exists among them. One of them is 67. The Monastery of Saint Macarius, the elder, a famous monastery among them, and near it lie four ruined monasteries. This was formerly the monastery of the pious monks, and a patriarch was not recognized by them until they had made him take his seat in this monastery, after he had sat upon the throne in Alexandria. It is said that there were 1,500 monks here, but now there are few. this There are three saints named Macarius : the greatest, who was abbot of Saint Macarius of Saint Macarius the and monastery, Alexandria, and bishop ; their bones are kept in three hollow pieces of wood, and are visited by the Christians of the monastery. Here is also the letter, written by 'Amr ibn al-'Asi to the monks of Wadi Habib, about the treasurership of the northern districts, as it has been related to me by one who had heard it from a man who had seen it there. Saint Macarius the elder received the monastic rule from Anthony, the first among them who wore the monkish cap and the Askim, which is a band of leather with which the monks alone gird themselves, and upon which there is a cross. He met Anthony on the eastern mountain-range, where the APPENDIX. 321

and remained for some time with him and then Monastery of Al-'Arabah is, ; Anthony clothed him with the monastic habit and bid him go to Wadi 'n-Natrun and there take up his abode. He did this, and a great number of monks assembled around him. They relate of him many noble deeds, among others that he fasted during the whole of the forty days, without tasting food or drink, and also watched through the nights; moreover he prepared palm-leaves and fed upon them, and never ate fresh bread, but he took old shoes, softened them in a mess of palm-leaves, and ate of them, together with his monks, so long as his breath this was their food their whole life remained, without anything more ; during until they died. Saint Macarius the Alexandrian wandered from Alexandria to the aforesaid Macarius, and became a monk through him. Next was Saint Macarius the third, who became a bishop. 68. The Monastery of Saint John the Dwarf is said to have been built in the time of Constantine, son of Helena. This Saint John possessed notable of this qualities, and was one of the most famous monks. The circumstances monastery were very favourable, and many monks lived there; but now only three monks are left there. 69. Monastery ofJohn Kama, 70. Monastery of Elias, which belonged to the Abyssinians; both of these are destroyed, for the worms injured their wood-work, so that they fell to pieces. Then the Abyssinians went to 71. The Monastery of the Virgin of Saint John the Dtvarf which is a small monastery near that of Saint John the Dwarf. 72. Near these monasteries stands that of Saint Anub, now likewise destroyed. This Saint Anub was a native of Samannud, and was put to death at the beginning of Islam, and his body is placed in a house at Samannud. 73. The Monastery of the Armenians near these monasteries is destroyed. 74. In their neighbourhood stands also the Monastery of Bii Bisha'i, greatly revered among them, because this Bisha'i was one of the monks who belong to the class of Macarius and John the Dwarf. It is a very large monastery. 75. A monastery opposite to that of Bu Bisha'i formerly belonged to the Jacobites, but for 300 years has been in the possession of the Syrian monks, and is now in their hands. The place where these monasteries are is called Birkat al-Adyirah (Lake of the Monasteries). 76. Monastery of the Virgin of Baramils, dedicated to the name of the Virgin there are Mary ; some monks there. 77. Opposite to it stands the Monastery of Moses or Abu Miisd the Black,

t t [II. 7-1 322 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. also called Baramus; this monastery is dedicated to the Virgin of Baramus, so that is the the Baramus name of monastery. A story is told of it as follows : Maximus and Domitius were the sons of the emperor of the Romans, and had a called Arsenius the teacher, ; teacher betook himself from the land of the Romans to Egypt, crossed this desert of Shihat, there adopted the monastic life, and remained there till he died. He was an excellent man, and both the aforesaid sons of the emperor came to him during his life, and became monks at his hands. When they died their father sent and had the church of Baramus built in their name. Saint Moses the Black was a bold robber, who had murdered ioo then he men ; adopted Christianity, became a monk, and wrote many books. He is one of those who kept the Forty Days' Fast entirely without food, and he was a Berber by race. 78. Monastery of Az-Zajdj (Glass). This stands outside Alexandria, and is also called Al-Hdbatiln (sic), and bears the name of Saint George the Great. it was the invariable custom for the Formerly patriarchs [at their election] to betake themselves from the Mu'allakah at Misr to this monastery of Az-Zajaj, but now this is not done. The above named are the monasteries of the

Jacobites. 79. The women have also special convents, as the Convent of Nuns in the Harah Zawilah at which is inhabited Cairo, by virgins leading the religious life, and other Christian women. 80. The Dair al-Bandt in the quarter of the Romans (Harat ar-Rum), at Cairo, inhabited by nuns.

81. The Convent of Al-Mu'allakah in the city of Misr is the most famous convent of women, and is inhabited by them. 82. The Convent of Saint Barbara in Misr is near the Church of Barbara, and is inhabited by virgins who are becoming nuns. Barbara was a saint in the time of Diocletian, who had her tortured that she might give up her religion and worship idols; but she remained constant in her faith, and endured severe torments. She was a virgin, and when he despaired of her, he had her head struck off and a crowd of women beheaded with her.

83. The Melkite Christians have a cell belonging to their patriarch beside the

Church of Michael near the of Afram outside Misr it is the Bridge ; assembling- place for monks coming from the land of the Romans. 84. Monastery of Saint fohn the Dwarf generally called Al-Kusair. The correct pronunciation according to them is Al-Kasir, after the form shahid, but it has been changed and is pronounced Al-Kusayyir. The Muslims call it APPENDIX. 323

of the Small Fort as if it were a diminutive of Dair al-Kusair (' Monastery '), hasr,

' ' ' castle but as we have it was Dair of the ; originally, said, al-Kasir, Monastery Dwarf,' the opposite of tawil, 'tall,' and it is also called the Monastery of Heraclius, and that of the Mule. It has already been described above. It was one of the largest monasteries of the Christians, but now there is only one man in it to guard it, and it is in the hands of the Melkites. 85. Monastery of At-Tur. Ibn Sidah says: At-Tilr means 'the Mountain,' and is especially used of Tur Sina (Sinai), the mountain in Syria. In Syriac it is and in derivation we Turi or Tilrd' 'a Turian.' Yakut Jia^ tilrd, say i, says: There are seven places named Tilr : (1) Tilr Zaitd, in pronunciation like Zait, e ' : the near Ain Tilr likewise oil,' with final a name of a mountain Ras ; (2) Zaitd, a mountain of east of Siloah name of a mountain above Jerusalem, ; (3) Tilr, rising the of Tiberias the name of a mountain in a district city by Jordan ; (4) At-Tilr, containing many towns or villages, in Egypt, to the south, between Misr and mount Faran which to various statements is a mountain ; (5) Tur Sina, according near Ailah, or a mountain in Syria; and Sina is said to mean stones or trees there Tur of a mountain in the of the ; (6) 'Abdin, name province Nisibis, among rise this and are connected with mountains which above city, mount Juda ; Tilr e. of the brother of Moses Al-Wahidi in his (7) Hdrfm (i. Aaron), says

' commentary : Al-Kalbi and others say that the mountain,' in the word of God 'but behold the mountain/ is the largest mountain in Midian, called Zabir. Al-Kalbi mentions that Tur has its name from Yatur the son of Ishmael; on which As-Suhaili remarks that the Ya perhaps has been dropped, if his statement

is correct. 'Umar ibn Shaibah says : 'Abd al-'Aziz told me, [quoting] from Abu Ma'shar, from Said ibn Abi Said, from his father, from Abu Hurairah, that the Apostle of God said: There are four rivers in Paradise and four mountains and four battles the rivers are the> and the and the ; Saihan, Jaihan, Nile, Euphrates ; mountains are Sinai (At-Tur), Lebanon, Uhud, and Warikan; as to the battles, he was silent. According to Ka'b al-Ahbar, the Muslims have three places of defence their defence the Romans is Damascus that ; against ; against Ad-Dajjal is the that and is Sinai. Shu'bah from Jordan ; against Yajuj Majuj says, quoting

Arta'ah ibn al-Mundhir : When Yajuj and Majuj marched forth, God declared to

Jesus, son of Mary : See, I have caused one of my creatures to march forth, over none has therefore now with whom except me any power ; go thy companions to the mountain of At-Tur. Then he went thither accompanied by 12,000 followers. I to Talk ibn Habib heard Zur'ah say : I wished to march out to Sinai, so came

'Abdallah ibn this he : To three 'Umar and told him ; whereupon repeated

t t 2 324 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. mosques the journey is difficult, to the Mosque of the Apostle of God (Medina), to the holy Mosque (Mecca), and to the most distant Mosque (Jerusalem); therefore now give up Sinai, for thou canst not reach it. The Cadi Abu 'Abdallah Muhammad ibn Salamah al-Kuda'i says, after describing the districts of Egypt : To the southern region belong the localities of the Hedjaz, namely, the district of Sinai and Faran, the district of Raya and Al-Kulzum, the district of Ailah and its neighbourhood, Midian and its neighbourhood, Al-TJwaid and Al-Haura and their neighbourhoods, and next the district of Bada and Shaghb.

I remark : It is not disputed among Christian and Jewish writers that this Mount Sinai is that upon which or near which God instructed his prophet Moses. There is still there a monastery in the possession of the Melkites, peopled by monks, and owning a large garden with palms, vines, and other fruits. Ash-Shabushti says : Tut Sina is the mountain upon which the light appeared to Moses so that he lost his consciousness. The monastery on the summit of the mountain is built of black stone, the thickness of its walls is seven cubits, and it has three iron doors, and on the west side there is a small door, before which a stone is erected which they can raise at pleasure; and when any visitor approaches they let it down, and the place is covered by it so that the position of the door is not detected. Within the monastery there is a spring, and without it another spring. The Christians state that there is a fire in the monastery like that fire which was at Jerusalem, of which every

an is consumed it is of no heat so evening equal quantity ; white, small, great that it burns nothing, but it grows stronger when a lamp is kindled at it. The monastery is inhabited by monks, is visited by the people, and is one of c the monasteries which have been celebrated by poets. Ibn Amir says of it

' O monk of the monastery ! whence the brightness and the light ? it shines from that which is in thy monastery At-Tur. Does perchance the sun dwell there, forgetting his zodiacal signs, or has the moon removed and hidden herself therein ?

Then he said : Neither sun nor moon dwells there,

but wine-flasks have been brought thither to-day.'

the at I remark : Christian chroniclers relate that Justinian, emperor of Romans the of this a fortress was Constantinople, commanded building monastery ; strong built within in the of which were cells and a taken it, upper story many ; garrison, the tribe of Band was there to defend the monks in the from Arab Salih, placed ; time of this emperor the fifth council of the Christians assembled. Between this APPENDIX. 325

place [Sinai] and Al-Kulzum, which was a town, there are two ways, one by land and the other by sea, both leading to the town of Faran, one of the towns

of the Amalekites, from which to At-Tur there are two days' journeys : and from

the city of Misr to Al-Kulzum there are three days' journeys. The mountain is reached in the midst of the mountain of At-Tur by 6,666 steps ; there was a church of the prophet Elias, and on the top a church bearing the name of Moses with pillars of marble and gates of brass; this is the place where God spoke with Moses, and the latter broke the tables. There was here only one monk for the service, and they state that none could pass the night here, but a place was prepared for him outside, where he passed the night. Nothing is now left of these two churches.

86. The Nuns' Convent in the Kasr ash-Shama', at Misr, bears the name Saint before the of there of George ; here, Islam, was Nilometer, which are traces to this day. These are all the monasteries possessed by the Christians, Jacobites, and Melkites, men and women, in Egypt; their number reaches the sum of eighty- six, of which eighty-two belong to the Jacobites and four to the Melkites. OF EGYPT. $26 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES

ACCOUNT OF THE CHURCHES OF THE CHRISTIANS.

or ' ' of the in Al-Azhari says : The word Kanisah (church), synagogue Jews,

the form is Kunisht '. Even the plural Kand'is, is an Arabicised form, and original in their thus Al-Abbas ibn the more ancient Arabs mention churches poems ; Mirdas al-Sulami says: 'They surround me in the shadow of every church; as long as my people passed the night in the churches.'

And Ibn Kais ar-Rukayyat says :

'As if it were a picture painted in one of the churches.'

of which is named 1. The Two Churches of Al-Khandah, without Cairo; one after the angel Gabriel; the other after Mercurius and also after Ruwais, the well-known monk who lived after a. h. 800. Near both of these churches the Christians buried their dead, and the place is called the Burial-place of Al- Khandak. Both of these churches were built in the time of Islam to take the place of the churches of Al-Maks. 2. The Church in the Hdrah Zawilah in Cairo, a church revered by the bears the name of the it is stated that it was Jacobite Christians, Virgin ; formerly known by the name of the physician Zabilun, who lived about 270 years before and the appearance of the Islamitic religion, was learned in many sciences, well which exists here. possessed a great treasure reached through a in 3. A Church known by the name ofAl-Maghithah in the Hdrat ar-RUm Cairo that the bears the name of the Virgin. These two are the only churches Jacobites there was another called the possess in Cairo. In the Harat ar-Rum church, Church of Barbara, but this was destroyed in a. h. 718. The cause of this

event was the Christians offered a petition to Al- Malik an-Nasir Muhammad of this ibn Kala'un, in which they begged for permission to restore that part church which had been ruined; he gave them permission, and they built the church so that it became more beautiful than it was before. This angered

1 As Wiistenfeld out, Kunisht is the Persian word; but the true pointed ' ' ' of the Arabic A.~. J> is the Aramaic ^3 = or original Kanisah, t , N'fif synagogue 'meeting-house,' from tW3 'to assemble.' (Syr. jk**,cuo; late Hebrew HD33). APPENDIX. 3*7 a number of Muslims, who represented to the Sultan that the Christians had erected a new building beside this church, which had not been there before. He therefore charged the Emir and Treasurer 'Ilm ad-Din Sanjar, Wall of Cairo, to destroy the newly-erected building; and the latter rode thither and found a crowd of Muslims assembled, who hastened to destroy the church altogether, as as erected in its speedily possible ; they place a Mihrab, announced the hours of prayer, and recited the Koran, all of their own accord, and they were not hindered for of fear an insurrection. After this the Christians were heavily oppressed; and they complained to the Cadi Karim ad-Din, Keeper of the Sultan's Privy Purse, who stood up as the champion of the religion of his forefathers, and brought the matter constantly to the Sultan's notice, until the latter ordered the destruction of the Mihrab, which was thrown down, so that the place became a rubbish-heap, and so it has remained. 4. Church of Saint Mennas. This stands near the dam between the mounds of earth on the road from Misr it consists of three ; churches adjacent to one another; one of the Jacobites, one of the Syrians, and the third of the Armenians. A festival is kept there every year, at which the Christians assemble in this church.

5. The Church of Al-Mu'allahah, in the city of Misr, in the quarter of Kasr ash-Shama', named after the Virgin; it is highly revered among them, and is distinct from the above-mentioned Cell.

6. The Church of Saint Sinuthius in Misr, named after the ancient monk of whom are related that Sinuthius, many things ; among others, he was one of those who abstained from food the Fast entirely during Forty Days' ; under him there were 6,000 monks, who fed, as he did himself, on a mess of palm- leaves he wrote books. ; many 7. Church of Mary, near the Church of Sinuthius. This was destroyed by *Ali ibn Sulaiman ibn 'Ali ibn 'Abdallah ibn 'Abbas, Emir of Egypt, when he received the government from the Prince of the Faithful, Al-Hadi Musa, in a.h. 169; he also destroyed the churches of the Ward of Constantine, for the preservation of which the Christians offered him 50,000 dinars as a bribe, but he refused it. When he was removed, however, and Musa ibn Tsa ibn Musa ibn Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn 'Abdallah ibn 'Abbas took his place in the caliphate of Harun ar-Rashid, the new governor allowed the Christians to rebuild the churches which 'Alt ibn Sulaiman had then were all rebuilt in destroyed ; they consequence of a decree of Al-Laith ibn Sa'd and 'Abdallah ibn Lahi'ah, who both declared that it was for the advantage of the town, and bore witness that the churches 328 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. at Misr had first been built under Islam in the time of the companions of the prophet and his first successors. 8. Church of Saint George of Ath-Thikat. This church stands in an alley of the of Kasr ash-Shama' at which is called of Ath-Thikat quarter Misr, Alley ; not far from it is the Church of the Virgin of Saint George. 9. The Church Barbara in Misr is and is celebrated of large, among them ; it is named after Saint Barbara, a nun. In her time two other nuns were living, Isa and Thakla; a great festival is kept in their honour at this church, and the patriarch is present at it. 10. Church of Saint Sergius near Saint Barbara, not far from the Hospital of

Ibn an-Nu'man. There is a cave within it, in which Christ and his mother Mary are said to have sat. 11. Church of Babylon, south of Kasr ash-Shama', on the road of the Afram Bridge. This church is very old and small; below it the treasure of Babylon is said to be; its surroundings are in ruins. 12. The Church of Theodore the Martyr, in the neighbourhood of Babylon, is named after the martyr Theodore, the military commander. 13. The Church of Saint Mennas is also in the neighbourhood of Babylon. Both these churches are closed, on account of the ruins which surround them. 14. Church of Saint Mennas in the Hamra; the Hamra is now called the quarter of Kanatir as-Saba', between Cairo and Misr. This church was restored in a. h. of the Emir of Al-Walid ibn 177 by permission Egypt, Rufa'ah ; thereupon Wuhaib al-Yahsubi was angry, rebelled against the Sultan, and came to Ibn Rufa ah to assassinate him, but was seized and put to death; Wuhaib was a traveller from Yemen, and had come to Egypt. Then the Kara, in order to avenge Wuhaib, rose against Al-Walid ibn Rufa'ah, and fought against him. Ma'unah, the wife of Wuhaib, went round at night to the settlements of the Kara to rouse them to his blood she had shorn her avenge ; head, and e was an eloquent woman. Then Ibn Rufa'ah seized Abu Tsa Marwan ibn Abd ar-Rahman al-Yahsubi from among the Kara; he asked for mercy, and Ibn Rufa'ah set him free and rebellion after ; subsequently the was put down a great number had been slain. The church in the Hamra remained standing until the destruction of the churches took place in the days of Al-Malik an-Nasir Muhammad ibn Kala un, as it will be related, if it be God's will. 15. History of the Church of Az-Zuhrz, and account of the destruction of the churches in Egypt, and of the monasteries of the Christians all at one time. The Church of Az-Zuhri stood at the place where now the Pool of An-Nasir APPENDIX. 329

is, in the neighbourhood of Kanatir as-Saba, on the western bank of the canal, west of Al-Lawak events have taken in connexion with this church. ; many place For when Al-Malik an-Nasir Muhammad ibn Kalaun had in a. h. 720 built the hippodrome of the Mahari Camels near Kanatir as-Saba', he wished also to erect an embankment on the chief branch of the Nile not far from the Mosque of Taibars he therefore commanded that a which there should ; rubbish-heap lay be carried away, and that the earth beneath it should be dug out for the sake of the embankment, and he caused the water to flow into the excavated place, which is therefore called to this day the pool of An-Nasir. The excavation of this pool the last of the month of a.h. was begun on day Rabf I, 721 ; and when they brought it near to the Church of Az-Zuhrf at which many Christians had always dwelt, and beside which several other churches stood, on the spot now called Hakar Akbugha, between the Seven Wells and the Bridge of the Dam outside the city of Misr, then the workmen began to dig round the Church of Az-Zuhn, so that the latter remained standing in the middle of the spot which the Sultan had appointed for excavation and which is now the Pool of An-Nasir, and they continued to dig, until the church, as it were, hung in the air. The intention was that the church should fall without a direct attempt to destroy it. The general body of the slaves of the Emirs, who were working at the excavation, and the other workmen demanded, with incessant cries, permission to destroy the church, but the Emirs did not listen to them until Friday the 9th Rabi' II of the same year, while the people were performing the Friday prayers, when the work of excavation was interrupted, and a body of the common people, without leave from the Sultan, crying out 'God is Great!' attacked the Church of Az-Zuhri with axes and other tools, destroyed it and made a rubbish-heap

of it, plundered the Christians who were there, and carried off all that was within it. Then they destroyed the Church of Saint Mennas in the Hamra, which had from ancient times been much revered the Christians a number by ; of Christians dwelt there, who had established themselves there, and to whom the Christians of Misr all that was for the church also brought needed ; they sent there costly offerings and many alms, so that there was there a large treasure of coined money, golden vessels, and other valuables. The people climbed the walls, opened the gates, and took money, vessels, and wine-jars out

it of the church ; was a terrible occurrence. Thereupon they went from the church in the Hamra, after they had

destroyed it, to the two churches near the Seven Wells, one of which was called the Church of the Maidens, and was inhabited by a number of Christian

U u [II. 7.] 33 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

and monks broke in the doors of the two took girls by ; they churches, captive than took off their the girls, of whom there were more sixty, clothes, plundered all that they could find, and burnt and entirely destroyed these churches. All this took place while the people were making their Friday prayers; and when they came out of the mosques, they beheld with horror the clouds of dust, the smoke of the fire, the tumult of the mob, and the hurrying throngs of those who were carrying off the plundered objects, so that this horror could only be compared with that of the day of resurrection. The news of it spread, and quickly came to the sandy ground under the Castle on the Mountain; the Sultan heard a great tumult and noise which horrified him, and he sent to enquire into the cause of it. When he was told what had happened, he was much excited, and was angry that the people had undertaken to do the deed without his command. He ordered the Emir Aidughmish Amir-Akhur to ride to the spot with a detachment of pages, to put a stop to this disorder, and to seize those who had done the deed. While Aidughmish was making preparations to ride down, the news was brought from Cairo that the people of Cairo had risen and had destroyed a church in the quarter of the Romans in the of Zawilah and at the same time it was announced and one quarter ; from Misr that the people of Misr had risen in great numbers and had marched to the Church of Al-Mu'allakah in the Kasr ash-Shama', which had then been shut

within but it was on the of up by the Christians who were besieged it, point being taken. Now the anger of the Sultan increased, and he wished to ride down in person to attack the people, but he refrained when the Emir Aidughmish dissuaded him from the attempt. The latter went from the Castle with four Emirs to Misr; the two Chamberlains, the Emir Baibars and the Emir Alamas, rode to the which had been excavated and the Emir Tmal rode to each place ; Cairo, accompanied by a numerous troop. The Sultan had commanded that all whom they should capture among the people were to be slain, and none was to be so Cairo and Misr fell their and the pardoned ; upon knees, plunderers fled, so that the Emirs only caught those who were unable to move because they were overcome by the wine which they had drunk in the churches. The Emir Aidughmish now entered into Misr. The Walt had already ridden to the Mu'allakah to drive away those engaged in plunder from the street of the Mu'allakah, but, being received by a shower of stones, he had fled from them, and the gate of the church was on the point of being set fire to. Now the Emir Aidughmish and his followers drew their swords that they might fall upon the people, but when he found that there was an innumerable multitude and APPENDIX. 331 a narrow way of escape, he refrained from slaughter, bid his followers disperse the crowd Avithout shedding blood, and proclaimed that any one who stayed behind should forfeit his life. Then the assembled crowd turned to flight and dispersed, but Aidughmish, fearing lest the people should return, remained there until then he marched ordered the evening-prayer was proclaimed ; away, having the Wall of Misr with his soldiers, to whom he added fifty of the pages, to pass the night on the spot. As for the Emir Alamas, he came to the churches in the Hamra and the Church of Az-Zuhri to defend them, but only rubbish-heaps were left of them, not a wall was standing; he returned therefore, and the other Emirs also returned and informed the Sultan, whose to increase but did not leave him until he was anger continued ; they pacified. At the destruction of these churches a wonderful event occurred. For when the people were assembled on that day in the Mosque of the Castle on the Mountain for the Friday prayer, and had just finished the prayer, a madman ' in rose up and cried out in the midst of the mosque : Destroy the church ' out in this the citadel, destroy it ! and when he had repeatedly cried disturbing fashion, he fell into convulsions. The Sultan and the Emirs wondered at his words, and orders were given to the officer on guard and the chamberlain to the matter so both left the and when came to the investigate ; they mosque, they Ruins of the Tartars in the citadel, where a newly-built church stood, there finished their work were people employed in destroying it, and they had not when the news of the attack upon the churches in the Hamra and at Cairo arrived. Then the Sultan wondered yet more at that fakir, and caused search to be made for him, but no trace of him was found. In the Mosque of Al-Azhar too it happened that when the people were assembled that day for the Friday the hour of prayers, one of the fakirs fell into a sort of trembling, and when and prayer was announced, before the preacher appeared, he stepped forward

' ! is ! God said : Destroy the churches of the enemies and unbelievers God great ' ' : grant victory and help ! Then he began again to tremble, and cried out Down ' ! at him and did to the ground ! Down to the ground The people looked not know what he meant; they were of various opinions regarding him, some

' ' ' is and This means When the saying, He mad ; others, something.' preacher came forward the fakir ceased shouting, and at the end of the prayers he was sought for but could not be found; and when the people came out of the door of the mosque they saw the plunderers with the woodwork of the churches, the garments of the Christians, and other plunder, and when they asked about these things they were answered that the Sultan had proclaimed that the churches U u 2 332 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. should be and the believed this until heard soon afterwards destroyed ; people they that all had happened without orders from the Sultan. The churches destroyed that day at Cairo were that in the quarter of the Romans, that by the Archers, and two churches in the street of Zawilah. On Sunday, the 3rd day after the Friday on which the destruction of the churches had taken place at Cairo and Misr, the news came from the Emir Badr ad-Din Bilbag al-Muhsani, Wall of Alexandria, that on Friday the 9th Rabi' II, after the Friday prayers, a tumult had arisen among the people, and when they had quitted the mosque, the cry arose: 'The churches are destroyed!' and that the Mameluke had at once ridden to the spot but had found the churches, four in reduced to that he had also received the number, already heaps ; by pigeon-post a letter from the Wali of Al-Buhairah, announcing that at the town of Damanhur, while the people on that day were making their Friday prayers, two churches had been destroyed. The astonishment increased over these matters until on Friday, the 16th, news was brought from the town of Kus that while the people on the 9th Rabi' II had finished their Friday prayers, one of the

' ! of the fakirs had risen, and had said : O fakirs come out to the destruction ' had churches ! but when they went out, followed by a crowd of others, they found the churches already destroyed; and that at Kus and in its immediate neighbourhood six churches had been wrecked. Gradually information arrived from the southern and northern provinces, announcing the destruction of many churches and monasteries in all the districts of Egypt between Kus, Alexandria, and Damietta, which had taken place on the same day during and after the Friday prayers. The anger of the Sultan against the people reached its highest point, because he feared that even worse things would be done. The Emirs tried to soothe his anger, saying that matters of this sort could not have happened through human power, and that if the Sultan himself wished to under- in a to do so but that take anything of the sort he would not be position ; it was a decree and ordinance of God, who knew the great corruption of the

Christians and their increasing pride, so that that which had happened might serve as a punishment for them. While therefore the people of Cairo and Misr had become much afraid of the Sultan, because they had heard that he had threatened them with death, the Cadi and and many of the lowest people had taken to flight, Army- Inspector Fakhr ad-Din tried to dissuade the Sultan from his intended attack ad-Din on the people, and to reconcile him with them again, while Karim al-Kabir, Keeper of the Privy Purse, incited the Sultan against the people, APPENDIX. 333 until the Sultan ordered him to travel to Alexandria for the purpose of raising money and of enquiring what churches were there destroyed. Scarcely a month had passed by since the destruction of the churches when in Cairo and Misr fire broke out in many places, at which horrors occurred In a equal to those which followed the destruction of the churches. house of the Roast-meat-Vendors' Street in Cairo fire broke out on Saturday the the and lasted until ioth Jumada I, and spread among surrounding dwellings the evening of Sunday; many buildings were destroyed. When this fire was extinguished, another arose in the quarter of Ad-Dailam in the street of Al-'Arishah, near the dwelling of Karim ad-Din, Keeper of the Privy Purse, on the 25th

I it was a and the fire on all until it reached Jumada ; windy night, spread sides, the house of Karim ad-Din. When the Sultan heard of this, he was much vexed, because a part of the Sultan's treasures was kept there, and he sent several of the Emirs to put it out, and they took with them a crowd of people which continually grew in numbers. From the night of Monday to that of Tuesday the fire had continually increased, and the Emirs with their followers a which could not extinguish it, because there was strong wind by lofty palms were overthrown and boats were dashed to pieces, and so the fire spread on all sides. The people were already convinced that the whole of Cairo would be burnt, and they mounted the minarets in order to call to prayer. The

' ' fakirs and pious men appeared and began to pray with the cry : God is great ! but it was in vain, and the screams and weeping of men grew louder on all sides. The Sultan went up to the roof of the castle, but could not stay there on account of the strong wind; the fire lasted, and the Sultan repeated his command to the Emirs to extinguish it until Tuesday. Then the Sultan's and took all the Emirs and water-carriers with him and Deputy went down ; Baktimur also down it was a terrible the Emir and Cupbearer went ; day ; none more terrible has ever been seen. At the gates of Cairo guards were set to bring back the water-carriers if they tried to leave Cairo, in order to the fire not one of the water-carriers of the Emirs and of the extinguish ; city all had to and the water from the academies and was spared, work ; they brought all the attendants the baths were taken to the baths ; carpenters and of pull down houses, and in this time of necessity many lofty buildings and great houses were pulled down. At this fire twenty-four of the principal Emirs were working, besides an the of the the Decurions and the Mamelukes equal number of Emirs band, ; and the Emirs themselves set their hands to the work. The water stood from

the Gate of Zawilah to the quarter of Ad-Dailam like a lake in the street on 334 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. account of the crowd of men and camels which brought water. The Emir and Cupbearer Baktimur and the Emir and Deputy Arghun were employed in carrying the Sultan's treasure from the house of Karim ad-Din to the house of his son in the Lead-workers' Street sixteen houses which touched the ; partly house or stood opposite to it had to be destroyed before they could rescue the treasure.

The fire was not yet fully extinguished, the treasure was scarcely carried away, when a fresh fire broke out at the dwelling of Az-Zahir before the Zawilah 1 which was a hall known as the Gate, which destroyed 20 houses ; among Hall of the Fakirs. the fire a wind blew then the Chamberlain During strong ; and the Wali rode down to extinguish the fire, and caused a number of the surrounding houses to be pulled down until the fire was extinguished. Two days later a fire broke out in the house of the Emir Salar in the street between the two castles; it began in the air-passage which had been constructed 100 cubits above the but this was all before the fire was out. ground ; destroyed put Then the Sultan commanded the Emir and Treasurer Tim ad-Din Sanjar, Wali of Cairo, and the Emir and Chamberlain Baibars to keep guard and to be watchful it was that in a barrel or of water ; proclaimed every shop jar should stand, and a similar one in all streets, by-ways, and alleys. Through this the price of a barrel rose from one dirham to five, and the price of a jar to eight dirhams. A fire also broke out in the quarter of the Romans and in many places, so that no day passed without a fire in some place. The people now took heed to that which was befalling them, and came to the conjecture that the Christians fire in the of the were the cause of it, because the appeared pulpits mosques walls oratories and schools were therefore at a certain and the of ; they prepared

it until that it arose from fire, and they followed up the track of they found naphtha rolled up in cloths steeped in oil and pitch. One Friday night in the middle of Jumada, two monks were captured coming out of the Academy of Al-Hakkariyah, and fire had just been set to the academy, and the smell of sulphur was still on their hands; they were brought to the Emir and Treasurer 'Urn ad-Din, Wali of Cairo, who sent word to the Sultan, who ordered that they should be tortured. He had not come down from the castle before people met him, who had seized a Christian caught in the Mosque of Az-Zahir with rags in the form of an annular biscuit full within of pitch and naphtha; he had already thrown one of them down by the pulpit, and had stood by it until smoke rose

it then he went to from the some had noticed from ; depart mosque ; one, however, APPENDIX. 335

from a where the Christian could not see him, and watched him place him ; then he seized him, and the people came up in crowds and dragged him to he had dressed himself like the Muslims. He was then the Wall's house ; tortured before the Emir and Chamberlain Rukn ad-Din Baibars, and he confessed that a multitude of Christians had bound themselves to prepare naphtha and to spread it about by means of several of their followers, of whom he was one, and that he had been told to place it beside the pulpit of the Mosque of Az-Zahir. Thereupon it was ordered that the two monks should be tortured, and they confessed that they were among the inhabitants of the Monastery of the Mule, and had set fire to the places already described, out of hatred to the to them for the destruction of the churches Muslims and take revenge upon ; and that many Christians had joined together, and had collected a considerable sum to prepare this naphtha. Meanwhile Karim ad-Din, Keeper of the Privy Purse, had returned from and the Sultan informed him of the of the where- Alexandria ; capture Christians,

' upon he answered : The Christians have a patriarch with whom they consult, and who knows their dispositions.' Then the Sultan commanded to bring the patriarch to the dwelling of Karim ad-Din that he might speak with him of the fire, and the share of the Christians in kindling it. The patriarch came therefore under the guard of the Wall of Cairo by night through fear of the people, and when he had entered the house of Karim ad-Din, in the quarter of Ad-Dailam, and the three Christians had been brought from the dwelling of the Wali, they repeated to Karim ad-Din in the presence of the patriarch and Wali all that they had before confessed. When the patriarch heard the confession, he began to weep,

' and said : These are fanatical Christians, who wished to avenge themselves on the fanatical Muslims on account of the destruction of the churches.' Thereupon he was released by Karim ad-Din with ceremony, and found that Karim ad-Din had caused a mule to be kept in readiness for him at the door, so that he might ride upon it; so he mounted and rode off; thereupon the people were angry and fell upon him together, and if the Wali had not accompanied him he would have been slain. Next morning Karim ad-Din wished to ride, according to his custom, to the Castle, and when he came out of doors as usual, the people cried to him in the streets: 'It is not allowed, O Cadi, that thou shouldest take under thy protection the Christians who have burnt down the houses of Muslims, and shouldest let them ride upon mules.' These words angered him and increased

his desire to do injuries, and when he came before the Sultan he tried to OF 336" CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES EGYPT.

as represent the crime of the Christians who had been captured slight, saying increase the that they were fanatics and fools; but the Sultan bade the Walt tortures. So the Wall went down and caused them to be severely tortured, so that they confessed that fourteen monks had conspired together in the Monastery of the Mule to burn down all the dwellings of the Muslims, and there was a monk who the that that among them prepared naphtha ; they to had partitioned Cairo and Misr among themselves, so that eight came Cairo and six to Misr. Then the Wall had the Monastery of the Mule surrounded and all its inmates seized; four of them were burnt at the cross- ways by the Mosque of Ibn Tfilun on Friday, where a great crowd had assembled to see them. From this time the common people were enraged against the Christians, and began to insult them and tore their garments off them, so that every form of outrage was allowed, and such as exceeded all measure. Thereupon the Sultan grew angry, and formed the plan of making an attack upon the people. It happened that when he was riding on a Saturday from the citadel to go to the great hippodrome, he saw a great crowd of

' : Islam ! Protect people who were filling the streets and shouting God protect ' the religion of Muhammad ibn 'Abdallah ! He rode aside to avoid them, and when he reached the hippodrome, the Treasurer brought two Christians to him who had just been caught in the attempt to set fire to the houses; he commanded that they should be burnt, whereupon they were led away, a ditch was dug, and they were burnt in the sight of the people. While they were yet employed in burning the two Christians, the Chamberlain of the Divan of the Emir and Cupbearer Baktimur, who was a Christian, came by, to reach the house of the Emir Baktimur. When the people saw him, they threw him from his beast, dragged off all his clothes, and carried him off to throw him into fire then he in a loud voice the formulas confessed the ; repeated two of belief,

Islam, and was set at liberty. Meanwhile Karim ad-Din, clothed with a robe of the but drove him with and honour, passed by hippodrome ; they away stones,

' ' cried out : How long wilt thou protect and defend the Christians ? They mocked at him, so that he saw no way of escape except to return to the Sultan, who still in the cries the so loud in their was hippodrome ; the of people were anger that the Sultan could hear them. When Karim ad-Din came to him and informed him of what had passed, he was full of wrath, and asked the advice of the Emirs who were with him, such as the Emir Jamal ad-Din, deputy-governor of Al-Kark, the Emir Saif ad-Din al-Bubakri, the Cham- berlain and several others Al-Bubakri that the Baktimur, ; thought people APPENDIX. 337

* * * and that it was best for the Chamberlain to go and ask. them what they wanted before any step was taken. This view, however, did not please the Sultan, who turned away from him. Thereupon the Deputy-governor of Al-Kark

' said : All this comes from the Christian secretaries, for the people hate them, and my advice is that the Sultan should take no step against the people, but should remove the Christians from the Divan.' This advice also displeased the

' Sultan, who said to the Emir and Chamberlain Alamas : Go and take four of the Emirs with thee, and cut the people down from the place where thou leavest the hippodrome until thou comest to the Gate of Zawilah, and strike with the sword among them from the Gate of Zawilah to the Gate of Victory, without ' ' and to the Walt of : the of sparing any ; Cairo he said Ride to Gate Al-Lawak and the neighbourhood of the river, and let none pass without seizing him and bringing him to "the Castle, and if thou dost not bring those who have stoned my deputy (he meant Karim ad-Din), by my head I will hang thee instead ' of them and he sent with him a his After ; detachment of body-Mamelukes. a hesitation on the part of the Emirs to carry out the command, so that the matter became known, and they met no one, especially no slaves or attendants of the then at last set out the in all the Emirs, they ; news was spread Cairo, bazaars were shut, and an unheard-of sorrow fell upon the people. The Emirs went but forth, found on their long march not a single person until they reached the Gate of Victory; but the Wall at the Gate of Al-Lawak in the neighbourhood of Bulak and at the Water-Gate seized a crowd of rabble, sailors, and low people, by which action such fear was spread that a great number removed to the province of Al-Jizah on 'the western bank. The Sultan returned from the hippodrome and found on his way, until he reached the Castle, not one of the people; as soon as he arrived at the Castle he sent to the Wall, and told him to hasten to come to him and the sun set when he ; was not yet appeared with about 200 people whom he had seized. Then the Sultan made a division of them, and ordered that some should be hanged, others cut in two,

' others of their hands then all : is not deprived ; they cried O Lord, that lawful, it was not we who stoned him.' The Emir and Cupbearer Baktimur and the other Emirs present wept out of sympathy with them, and did not the Sultan quit until he said to the Wali: 'Divide off a part of them and erect posts from the Gate of Zawilah to the Castle in the Horse-Market and them hang up by their hands.' Next morning, being Sunday, they were all hung up from the Gate of Zawilah to the Horse-Market, some of them being and well-dressed the distinguished persons ; Emirs who passed by them expressed

X x [II. 7.] 338 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. sympathy with them, and wept over them. None of the shop-owners of Cairo and Misr opened his shop that day. Karim ad-Din left his dwelling to go to the Castle as usually, but he could not go past those who were hanged up, and so he took another way, not that through the Gate of Zawilah. The Sultan was already sitting behind a lattice, and caused a number of those whom the Wali had captured to be brought and the hands and feet of three of them to be cut off. The Emirs could not speak in their favour because his anger too then ad-Din bared his kissed was hot ; Karim entered, head, the earth, and begged for mercy; the Sultan at last yielded to his prayers, and ordered that the prisoners should work at the excavation at Al-Jizah. Then they were led but two of the mutilated had died and those away ; already ; who were hung up were taken down from the posts. While the Sultan still stood at the lattice, the cry of fire arose in the neighbourhood of the Mosque of Ibn Tiilun, and in the Castle on the Mountain, in the dwelling of the Emir Rukn ad-Din al-Ahmadi in the street of Baha ad- Din, in the inn before the Water-Gate of Al-Maks and in the adjacent buildings. On the morning of this day three Christians had been caught, with whom cords steeped in naphtha were found, and when brought before the Sultan they confessed that they had caused the fire. The fire lasted at those places until Saturday, and when the Sultan, according to his custom, wished to ride to the hippodrome, he met 20,000 people who had coloured pieces of stuff blue, and had made a white cross upon them, and when they saw the Sultan they cried

' with loud and united voices : There is no religion except that of Islam !

God protect the religion of Muhammad ibn 'Abdallah ! O Malik an-Nasir,

Sultan of Islam ! help us against the unbelievers, and do not protect the ' Christians ! The earth trembled with their terrible voices, and God filled the heart of the Sultan and the hearts of the Emirs with fear continued ; they their way, while he was deeply sunk in thought, until he came to the hippodrome. As meanwhile the shouts of the people did not cease, he held it best to act cautiously, and he bid the Chamberlain go out and proclaim that he who should find a Christian should demand money and blood from him. The Chamberlain

' ' went out and made this proclamation, and the people cried : God protect thee ! and gave him their congratulations. The Christians then used to wear white turbans, so it was proclaimed at Cairo and Misr that any one who should find a Christian in a white turban should be allowed to kill him and to seize his and a similar to goods ; permission was granted any one who should meet a Christian on horseback. A decree was issued that the Christians should wear APPENDIX. 339 blue turbans, and that none of them should ride a horse or a mule, but that they might ride asses with their heads to the tail; that no Christian might enter a bath without a bell round his neck and that none of ; them might wear the dress of the Muslims. The Emirs were forbidden to take Christians into their service the latter were removed from the Sultan's it ; Divan, and was commanded in all the provinces that all Christians holding office should be dismissed. The attacks of the Muslims upon the Christians increased so that the latter no longer walked in the streets, and a large number of them accepted Islam.

Nothing had been said at this time of the Jews, and so the Christians began, when they wished to leave their dwellings, to borrow a yellow turban from one of the Jews, and to wear it so as to be safe from the people. Then it happened that one of the Christians in the Divans was owed 4,000 dirhams by a Jew, so he came by night in disguise to the Jew's house to demand the

' ' then the seized him and cried : from and the Muslims 1 money ; Jew Help God and shouted so that ran to seize the Christian he fled people together ; but into the inner part of the Jew's house and hid himself with the wife of the latter he to write a that the had ; was, however, obliged receipt stating Jew paid him his debt, and then he was set free. Several Christians of the Monastery of Al-Khandak were accused of having to set fire to the houses nailed prepared naphtha ; they were captured and up. A decree was issued that the people might safely be present when the Sultan rode to the to their custom this took hippodrome according ; place because they stood in fear of their lives on account of their having too frequently attacked the Christians and overstepped all bounds. Now they became bold, came as usually to the neighbourhood of the hippodrome, offered good wishes

' to the Sultan, and began to cry : God protect thee, Ruler of the land ! we ' are spared, we are spared ! The Sultan heard this favourably and smiled at their words. At night a fire arose at the dwelling of the Emir and Chamber- lain Alamas in the Castle the so that fire hold ; wind was strong, the took and reached the house of the Emir Itmish, and the inhabitants of the Castle and of Cairo were so much terrified that they believed that the whole Castle was burnt.

More terrible events than these have never been heard of, for the Christians burnt the houses at Cairo in the Roast-meat -Vendors' market and the alley of Al-'Arishah in the street of Ad-Dailam, sixteen houses near the dwelling of Karim ad-Din, a number of houses in the quarter of the Romans, the house of Bahadur near the Chapel of Husain, some dwellings at the stable of At-Tarimah and in X x 2 340 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. the street of Honey, the palace of the Emir Silah, and the palace of the Emir Salar in the street between the two castles, the palace of Bishari, the Khan al-Hajar, Al-Jamalun, the hall of Al-Afram, the house of Baibars in the street of As-Salihiyah, the house of Ibn Al-Maghrabi in the street of Zawilah, many dwellings in the street of the Swallows' Well and at Al-Hakar, in the Castle on the Mountain, by several mosques and oratories and other buildings, which it would take too much space to mention. Among the churches, destruction was wrought on the church at the Ruins of the Tartars in the Castle of the Mountain, the Church of Az-Zuhri on the spot where the Pool of An-Nasir now is, the Church of the Hamra, a church near the Seven Wells, which is called that of the Daughters, the Church of Saint Mennas, the Church of Al-Fahhadin (the Trainers) at Cairo, a church in the quarter of the Romans, a church near the Archers, two churches in the of a the at four quarter Zawilah, church near Flag-Store, a church Al-Khandak ; churches in the frontier-city of Alexandria, two churches in the town of Damanhur Al-Wahsh, a church in the province of Al-Gharbiyah, three churches in the of six churches in the of Al-Bahnasa at province Ash-Sharkiyah, province ; Suyut, Manfalut, and Munyat Ibn al-Khasib eight churches, at Kus and Aswan eleven churches, in the province of Itfili one church; in the market-place of Wardan in the city of Misr, in the quarters of Al-Musasah and Kasr ash-Shama' at Misr eight churches. A great number of monasteries also were destroyed, and the Monastery of the Mule and the Monastery of Shahran remained long deserted.

These important events, such as could with difficulty be found a second time a series of took in a short of time so during long years, place space ; many persons perished, so much property was destroyed, and so many buildings ruined that for their multitude they cannot be described. The end of all things rests with God ! 16. Church of Michael. This church was by the canal of the Bani Wa'il before the city of Misr to the south of 'Akabah Yahsub, and is now near the

of Al-Afram it was built under and is of fine architecture. Bridge ; newly Islam, 1 7. Church of Mary, in the Gardens of the Vizier to the south of the Lake of Al-H abash it is one there. ; empty, and no goes 18. The Church of Mary, in the district of Al-'Adawiyah towards the south, is old, but already ruined.

19. The Church of Anthony, in the district of Bayad, north of Itfili, has been renewed. In the district of Sharnub there were many churches now one of them is in the district of Ihrit the destroyed ; on mountain, two days to the south of Bavad, and still exists. APPENDIX. 341

20. The Church the in the of Ashkar at its of Virgin, neighbourhood ; gate stands a tower built of large bricks, which is said to be the place where

Musa ibn 'Imran (the prophet Moses) was born. 21. Church of Mary, in the district of Al-Khusus; it is a house of which they have made a church, which, however, is neglected. 22. Church of Mary, Church of Al-Ka?ir, and Church of Gabriel ; these three churches stand in the district of Abnub. 23. Church = the of Asutir, which means [o-a>T)7p ] Saviour; this stands in the of and is much revered the Christians it bears city Ikhmim, among ; the name of the Martyrs, and there is a well there, the water of which, if it be put into a lamp, becomes of a deep-red colour like blood. 24. Church of Michael, also at Ikhmim. There is a custom among the Christians at these two churches that when they are keeping the Feast of Palms, also called the Feast of Hosanna, the priests and deacons go in procession with censers, incense, crosses, the gospels, and lighted candles, and stand before the door of the Cadi, and then before the doors of the most respectable Muslims, where they burn incense, read a passage of the Gospel, and sing a hymn, that is to say, praise him. 25. The Church of Saint Pachomius, in the district of Atfah, is the last church on the eastern bank. Bakhum or Pachomius was a monk at the time of Saint Sinuthius he is called the Father of the ; Community, because he increased the number of the monks and gave a teacher to every two monks. He did not allow wine or meat to be brought into his monastery, and he commanded that the fast should be kept until the end of the ninth hour of the day; he gave his monks roasted chickpeas to eat, and they called them chickpeas of scarcity. His monastery has long been destroyed, but this church of his still exists at Atfa, to the south of Ikhmim. 26. The Church of the Evangelist Mark, at Al-Jizah, was ruined after a. h. 800 and then rebuilt. This Mark was one of the Disciples of Christ, and founder of the patriarchal see of Egypt and Abyssinia. 27. The Church of Saint George, in the district of Bu 'n-Numrus in [the province of] Al-Jizah, was destroyed in a. h. 780, as it has been related above, but afterwards restored.

28. The Church in the district of Bu Fara, on the farthest limit of the province of Al-Jizah. 29. Church of Sinuthius, in the district of Harabshant. 30. Church of Saint George, in the district of Bana, is celebrated among 342 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. them thither votive and swear and relate ; they bring offerings, by it, many remarkable stories of it.

31. Church of Saint Mdrilld, in the district of Shumusta. This Maruta is his highly honoured among them ; he was a revered monk, and bones are kept in a chest in the monastery of BG Bishai on the plain of Shihat, and are visited even now. 32. Church of Mary at Al-Bahnasa. It is said that there were 360 churches at Al-Bahnasa, which have all been destroyed, so that this church alone remains. 33. The Church of the Monk Samuel, in the district of Shinarah. 34. The Church of Mary, in the district of Tunbuda, is old. 35. The Church of Michael, in the district of Tunbuda, is large and old. There were here churches the many now destroyed ; greater part of the inhabitants of Tunbuda consist of Christian artisans.

36. The Church of the Apostles, in the district of Ishnin, is very large. 37. The Church of Mary, in the district of Ishnin, is old. 38. The Church of Michael, and 39. The Church of Gabriel also, in the district of Ishnin. In this district there were 160 churches, which have all been destroyed with the of the four above the of the inhabi- exception mentioned ; greater part tants of Ishnin are Christians, and they maintain themselves by keeping watch over the palm-trees. Further on there are still remains of churches in which they keep their festivals, as the Church of Saint George, that of Maruta, that of Barbara, and that of Gafril, i.e. fabril (Gabriel). 40. In Munyat ibn Khasib there are six churches, that of Al-Mu'allakah, i.e. the Church of the Virgin, that of Peter and Paul, that of Michael, that of Saint George, that of Saint Paul of Tamwaih, and that of the three youths, namely, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, who were warriors in the time of Bukht Nasr (Nabuchadnezzar) and worshipped God in secret; when they were discovered Bukht Nasr wished to bring them back to the worship of idols, and when they refused this he had them thrown into prison for a long time that be but would and so he had them out they might perverted ; they not, brought and cast into the fire, which, however, did not burn them. The Christians hold them in great honour, although they lived long before the time of Christ. 41. Church in the district of Taha in the name of the Disciples of Christ, who are called by them Apostles. 42. Church of Mary, also in the district of Taha. 43. The Church of the Two Wise Men, in the district of Manhari, keeps a great festival in the month of Bashans at which the bishop is present, and a great APPENDIX. 343

fair is held at the festival. These two wise men are Cosmas and Damian, the two monks.

44. The Church of the Virgin, in the district of Bu Karkas, is old and large. 45. In the district of Mallawi there is the Church ofthe Apostles, and two ruined churches, one named after Saint George and the other after the angel Michael. 46. In the district of Daljah there were many churches of which only three are left; the Church of the Virgin which is large, that of Sinuthius, and that of Saint Mercurius ; they (the others) are entirely destroyed. 47. In the district of Sanabu is the Church of Saint Paul and that of Saint George ; Sanabu numbers many Christians. 48. In the district of Bibla'u, to the north of Sanabu, there is an old church on the western side of the city named after George ; there are many Christians who practise agriculture. 49. In the district of Darut there is a church near the town, like a monastery, and named after the Monk Serapion who lived in the time of Sinuthius and was elected are told of him. bishop ; many things 50. In the district of Buk Bam Zaid there is a large church named after the Apostles, in which a festival is kept. 51. In the province of Kus is the Church of Mary and that of Gabriel. 52. In the district of Damshir is the Church of the Martyr Mercurius; it is old and there are many Christians there. 53. In the district of Umm al-Kusur is the Church of Saint fohn the Dwarf, which is old.

54. In the district of Ballut, on the frontier of the district of Manfalut, is the Church of Michael, which is small. 55. In the district of Al-Balagharah, on the borders of Manfalut, is a small

church, inhabited by the priest with his family. , In 56. the district of Shakalkil are three large old churches, named respectively after the Apostles, Michael and Saint Mennas. 57. In the district of Munsha'at an-Nasara is a church of Michael.

58. In the town of is the Church Bu Sadrah e. St. Suyut of (i. Theodore) and that of the Apostles ; and before the town is the Church of Saint Mennas. 59. In the district of Udrunkah there is a very old church named after the three youths Ananias, Azarias, and Misael ; it is a school for poor Christians. The inhabitants of Durunkah are Christians, and understand the Coptic language, which is the means of communication there both for children and adults, and they are able to explain it in Arabic. 344 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

60. In the district of Rifah al-Gharbi is the Church of Saint Coluthus, who was and wonderful cures of inflammation of the a physician and monk, performed eye ; a festival is held in his honour at this church. There is also a Church ofMichael here.

Worms have already gnawed away one side of [the church at] Rifah al-Gharbi. 61. In the district of Mushah there is a church built over a bath, in the name of the martyr Victor; it was built in the time of Constantine, son of Helena, and has a terrace ten cubits wide, and three domes, each of which is about eighty cubits high; the whole is built of white stone; but the western half is already fallen. It is said that this church stands over a treasure which lies beneath it and it is said that there was a under the earth from ; passage Suyut to this town of Mushah. 62. In the district of Bukur, at the border of Butij, there is an old Church dedicated to the martyr Claudius, who stands among them on a par with

Mercurius, Georgius i. e. Bu Jurj, the commander Theodorus. and Mina'us. The father of Claudius was one of the prefects of Diocletian, and he was himself celebrated for his bravery. When he became a Christian, the emperor had him seized and tortured that he might return to the worship of idols, but he remained steadfast until he was killed. Many things are related of him. 63. In the district of Al-Kati'ah there is a Church named after the Virgin, where there was a bishop named Alduwin, who had a quarrel with his own party, so that buried him alive are the worst and are they ; they among Christians, notorious for their wickedness. There was among them a Christian named George, son of the Nun, who overstepped all bounds, so that the Emir and Majordomo Jamal ad-Din cut off his head in the reign of Al-Malik an-Nasir Faraj ibn Barkuk. 64. In the district of there are several ruined and the Christians Butij churches ; are accustomed to say their prayers secretly in one of their houses, and when day breaks, they go out to the ruins of a church, there erect an altar of palm-stems in the form of a cage, and perform their devotions. 65. In the district of Bu Makrufah there is an old Church dedicated to Michael, where two festivals are kept yearly. The inhabitants of that district are Christians, chiefly shepherds, and are people of a low class. 66. In the district of Duwainah there is a Church named after Saint John the who is much revered them there lived there a Dwarf, among ; man named Jonas, who was elected bishop, and was celebrated for his knowledge, in several sciences; they were irritated against him for envy of his knowledge, and they buried him alive, but his body had already ascended to heaven. APPENDIX. 345

67. In Al-Maraghah, between Tahta and Tima, there is a church, and in the district of Kilfa'u a large church. The Christians of this place are celebrated for their knowledge of magic and kindred sciences, and there was there, in the reign of Al- Malik az-Zahir Barkuk, a deacon named Absaltis, who possessed great skill in them, and stories are told of him which I prefer not to repeat on account of their strangeness. 68. In the district of Farshiit there is a Church of Michael and a Church of the Virgin Mary. 69. In the city of Huw there is a Church of the Virgin and a Church of Saint Mennas.

70. In the district of Bahjiiiah there is a Church of the Apostles, and at Isna a Church of Mary, a Church of Michael, and a Church offohn the Baptist, i.e. Yaliyd ibn Zakariyd. 71. At Nakadah there is a Church of the Virgin, a Church offohn the Baptist, a Church of Gabriel, and a Church offohn the Compassionate. The last was a rich man of Antioch, who became a monk, divided all his goods among the poor, and travelled the world and he confessed the Christian His father through ; religion. consoled himself on his son's account, and it was believed that he was dead.

Afterwards he came back to Antioch in such a condition that no one knew him ; he lived in a cell on a dunghill, and fed upon that which was thrown upon the dunghill until he died. At his funeral his father was present and recognized the cover of his book of the gospels, and on further examination found that it was his son; so he buried him, and built in his name the Church of Antioch and that of the Virgin in the town of Kift. there were several churches which with the town 72. At Asfun were destroyed ; in the town of Kus also there were many monasteries and churches which were destroyed with the town, so that only one Church ofthe Virgin is now remaining. Besides the churches hitherto mentioned by us there is none remaining in the southern provinces. As for the northern provinces there is at Munyah Surad in district of a Church the which is them the Cairo of Virgin Mary, famous among ; in the district of Sanduwah a new church named after Saint George ; at Marsafa a restored church also named after Saint George; at Samannud a church named after the built in a house at Sanbat a church celebrated them Apostles, ; among and named after the Apostles; at Sandafa a church revered among them and named after Saint George ; at Ar-Raidaniyah a Church of the Virgin, highly revered among them. At Damietta there are four Churches, of the Virgin, Michael, fohn the Baptist, and St. George, which are celebrated among them. In the district

y y pi. 7 .] 346 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. of Subk al-'Abid there is a church in a hidden house, named after the Virgin; at Al-Nahrai there is a church in a hidden house at iyah new ; Lukanah there is a Church ofSaint John the Dwarf; at Damanhur there is a new church in a hidden house, named after Michael. At Alexandria is the Church ofAl-Mu'allakah named after the Virgin, the Church of Saint George, the Church ofJohn the Baptist, and that of the Apostles. These are the churches of the in and have also at Jacobites Egypt ; they Gaza a Church and at the Kumdmah e. of the of Mary Jerusalem (i. Church Holy rather a in the Sepulchre, or chapel it) dnd Church of Zion. As for the Melkites, they possess at Cairo the Church of Saint Nicholas near the Archers, and at Misr the Church of the Angel Gabriel in the quarter of Kasr ash-Shama', where the cell of their patriarch is, the Church of the Virgin also in the Kasr ash-Shama', the Church of the Angel Michael near the Church of Barbara at Misr, and the Church of Saint John in the quarter of the Monastery of At-Tin. I. INDEX OF CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES IN EGYPT,

ACCORDING TO ABU SALIH, enumerating not only the churches contained within the walls of monasteries, but also the satellite churches or chapels. It is assumed that each monastery must contain one church if more are not named. It must be remembered that the churches and monasteries of the greater part of Lower Egypt, Cairo, and the Wadi Habib are not described, although some of them are incidentally named, in the existing portion of the work. The folios of the original MS., marked at the side of the text and translation, are here given. 348 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT. INDEX I. 349

No. of Place. Churches.

Fayyum, the

Fayyum, City of the, see Madi- nat al- Fayyum Funkus .... Fustat Misr and suburbs .

Ghizeh, see Al-Jizah

Al-Hamra, Churches of, see Fustat Misr

Al-Hanadah, Mon. of, see Rifah Helouan, see Hulwan Honey, Mon. of, see Munyah Bani Khasib Hulwan ....

Ibkah Ibsha'i, Mon. of, see Usyut Ibsidiya . Idfak Idrijah Ikhinim (at or near) . Iknu Ishnin Isna Itfih

Jabal Ashtar or Halaliyah Jalfah Al-Jimudat Al-Jizah . Al-Jizah, Province of Al-Jummaizah .

Al-Kaff, Mount of, see At-Tnr Al-Kais or Dafu

Kalamun .

Al-Kalandimun .

Kalusana .

Kamulah . 35 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Place. INDEX I. 35i

Place. 35* CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Place. INDEX II. 353

II.

SUPPLEMENTARY GEOGRAPHICAL INDEX.

'Abbasah, 21 a, 24 b, 31b. 'Anzarwa-A'jab' (or 'Unzur Armenians, 2 am, 26a, 47b, Abu Jaras, see Bujaras. wa-'jab,' name of place 48 b, 91 b. Al-Abwaniyah, Province of, near Mareotis), 107 b. altar of, in church at Saft 7 b. Arabs, 57 a. Maidum, 64 b. Abyssinia, 105 a ff. slaughter of, by Copts, Church of, at Kalusana, king of, 97 a, 112 a. 29 b. 92 b. b. kings of, in capacity of Arab wives of Ishmael, 57 quarter of, in Madinat priests, 105 b. Arabic spoken by Ishmael, al-Fayyum, 71a. letters sent kings of, by, driven out of Egypt, 2 a, to Cairo, 106 b. Ard Habash, see Habash. 48 a. Abyssinians, 23 b. Al-'Arish, 19 b, 21a, 23 b, recovery of their churches District of, see Habash. 56 b, 58 a. by, 6 b. Lake see Al-Habash. of name of, Armant, meaning Askar, birthplace of Moses, 8 a. 102 b. Adku, of, 19 b. Afram, of, under See Armenia, 5 a. City Askit, 87 a. of b. Armenian of Kulzum, 58 bishop Jeru- Assouan, see Uswan. converted salem, b. Africa, Western, 3 Aswan, see Uswan. by St. Philip, 107 a. sent to Egypt, 5 a. Al-'Atash, Mount of, 95 a. 101 a. a. 'Aidhab, 21a, burying-places, 44 Atlantic Ocean, see Sea of church at road to, from Kift, Al-Basatin, Darkness. a. 1 b, 2 a & b, 4 b, 5 a & b, 103 Atrib, 37 b. Ailah, 2 1 a. 6a&b. Aukir, City of, 112 a. in 'Irak, 112a. at Itfih, 55 b. > Akhmeem, see Ikhmim. at Az-Zuhri, 5 a & b. Babylon (on Euphrates), Al-Aksurain, see Luxor. colony in Egypt, 2 a, 4 b, 19 a, 76 b. Alexandria, 7 b, 20 b, 21a, 48 a. 21 a, 29 a, 36 b, 59 a. at Shinara, 91b. (in Egypt), 23a&b. b. Alfi, City of, 94 b. at Tura, 48 a. Baghdad, 94 b, 97 Alley of Abu Farwah, 32 a. monastery at Al-Basatin, Bahnasa, 45b, 73 b, 74 b, a. Sahl ibn 'Akil, 32 a & b. 1 b, 2 a, 3 a. 75 of the Lupins, 32 b. atAl-Khusus, 88 b. Al-Bahnasa'iyah, Province 'Alwah, Town of, 95 a. at Az-Zuhri, 3 b. of, 8 b. 2 b. b. Province of, 99 a. Patriarch, b ff., 47 Bahr al-Jizah, 34 Ansina (Antinoe), 70 b. priest at Cairo, acting as Bahr an-Na'am, 103 a. Antioch, Patriarch of, 1 2 b. deputy of Patriarch, 3 a. Bahr Suf, 58 b.

Z z [II. 7.] 354 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Bahr Yilsuf, see Al-Manhi, Al-Busirivah, Province of, Copts, number of, in Egypt, Canal of. 8 b. 26 b. Bain al-Kumain, 32 b (be- a 'protected people/2 8b, tween Fustat and Cairo). Caesarea, 55 a. 29 a. as-Sakhratain, 23 b. Cairo, 6 b, 24 a, 28 a, 45 a, related by affinity to Abra- Bait Sanis, 104 b. 84 a, 98 b. ham and Joseph, 28 b. Baraghwatah (in W.Africa), Old, see Fustat Misr. take possession of Ar- a Ibn Canal of or of Prince menian b cf. 65 {see Ghawatah). Cairo, church, 4 ; Barkah, 2 r a, 65 a. of the Faithful, 24 a & b, 5 b, 6 a & b. Al-Barmak, 17 b. 28 a, 53 a, 58 a & b. Cyprus, 57 a, 62 b. Barniyudah, 73b. of Nahya, 64 b. translation of bodies of Bashawah, 104 b. Carthage, 107 a, 108 a. SS. Mary, Martha, and Bashmurites fought for Mar- Cataracts, the, 94 b, 95 a, Lazarus from, 64 a. wan II, 84 b. 96 b. Bashrud, see Bashmurites. Cataract, the First, 104 b. Dabik, 19 b. b. the 100 a. Bastah, 5 a, 45 Fourth, Dafu, 91a (\jji). Baths, ruined, at Al-Khari- Ceylon, 95 a. Dahrut, 55 b. bah, near Usyiit, 88 a. Chalcedon, Council of, Daira, Monastery of, in of Ibn Najah, 32 a. caused by Nestorius, 84 a. Nubia, 94 b. of As-Salib, 33 a. Chalcedonian, Emperor He- Dakahlah, 57 b. Bausaka, City of, 94 b. raclius called a, 80 a. Ad-Dakahliyah, Province of, Al-Bawasir (name of Al- Chaldaeans, books of, 22 b. 7 b.' ' Hamra ad-Dunya), 34 b. Chamberlains, Church of Daljah, 78 a. Berbers, 65 a, 107 b. the,' see Romans, Church Damascus, 70 a. Bethlehem, Church of Nati- of. revenue of, 1 8 b. vity at, 50 b. China, Sea of, 19 b, 26 b. Damietta, 7 b, 14 a, 19 b, Al-Bihu, District of, 76 a. 'Church, Fourth/ in Al- 57 b, 63 b. ' ' Bilak, see Philae. Hamra, 27 a, 27 b. bishop of, 9 a, 14 a. ' Birds, Mount of the, also City, The' (name of cavern), Damirah, 66 b. called Mount of the Palm, 47 a. Damsis, 14 a & b. 76 a. 'City of Stone,' 17 a. Dandarah, 102 b. Birkat al-Habash, see Al- Cleopatra, 76 b. Dar Manuwil, name of Habash. Coptic church given to Mastayah, 65 a. Birkah Karun, see Karun. Armenians, 6 b, 47 b Daraj, Well of, at Misr, in the Birkah Maryam, see Miriam. (Sahidic) hymns sung, Ard Habash, 41b, 43 b. Bisus, church and monas- 102 a. Darb al-Kantarah, 32 b. tery at, 76 a. scribes, see Scribes. al-Khadiji, 22 b. Black Nile, 101 b. translations from, into az-Zajjajin, 32 a. Brothers, Monastery of the, Arabic, 14 b, 45 a. Darkness, City of, 108 a. near Sailah, 73 a. Copts, 6 b. Darmus, City of, in Nubia, Al-Buhairah,Provinceof,8 a. altar of, in church at Saft 99 b. Bujaras, 94 a & b. Maidum, 64 b. Darut, see Darwat as- ' Burial-place of the Wise employed by Muslim Sarabam. ' Men in Yaman, 1 1 1 b. government, i2b,24a&b, Daurah Khalf, 21b. Bush, 18 a, 69 b. 27 b, 36 a. Delta, 10 b, 12 a, 21a. INDEX IT. 355

Desert of Upper Egypt, Mo- Ghuzz, tribe of, 2 a & b, 7 a, Helouan, see Hulwan. nasteries 80 a b. 26 in, & 25 a, a, 27 a, 28a, 31a, Henaton, To, Monastery of, of b a a 62a 6 b 80 a. Dongola, capital Nubia, 37 , 47 > 59 > , 7 > b. a 95 70b, 72a, 75b, 81b, 82a, Hulwan, 52 ff., 67 a, 70 b. Ad-Dubb, Mosque of, at 88 a, 89 b, 90 b, 96 a. Itfih, 54 a. Gisr al-Ajuz, see 'Wall of Ibkah, Monasteryof,between Dumyat, see Damietta. the Old Woman.' Uswan and Kus, 101a. Dunkulah, see Dongola. Greek, Liturgy recited in, Ibrim, City of, 96 a & b. Durrah (in the sea), 112 a. in Nubia, 99 a. Ikhmim, 70 b, 82 b. Green Nile, 95 a. spring near, 92 b. Equator, 26 b, 108 b. Al-Ikran, 108 a. Euphrates, River, 22 b. Al-Habash, Lake of, 7 b, India, 105 a, 107 a, 108 b ff. 39 b, 41 a. conversion of, to Chris- Fada 'd-Dunya, 32 b. Habash, District of, 41b, tianity, 109 a. '1-Kaba'il, 33 a. 43 b. identical with Abyssinia, 'r-Rayah, 32 b. Hait al-'Ajuz, see 'Wall of 108 b. the Fahsur (Mansur ?), nob. Old Woman.' Indian tree, at Isna, 102 a. Al-Fajj, District of, 22 b. Hait al-Hujuz, see Ha'it al- Al-'Iiak, 112 a. Al-Farama, 19 b, 56 b. 'Ajuz. redbrickemployedin,95b. Al-Farr, 2 1 b. Hajar Lahun, 18 a, 69 b, Ishnin, 76 a. 18 Fayyum, the, a ff., 26 a, 70 a, 71 b. Iskandariyah,j^ Alexandria. 45 b, 69 b ff. Hamdan, tribe of, 59 a. Isna, meaning of name of, origin of name of, 70 b. Al-Hammam, Fort of, 22 a. 102 a. Al-Fayyumiyah, Province of, Al-Hamra, 23 b, 24 a, 26 a, Israelites in Abyssinia, 1 06 a. 8 b. 29 a. crossed Red Sea at Bahr Franks, 19 a, 31a, 57 b, Church of, see George, Suf, 58 b. 76 a, 107 b. Saint. Istabl al-Fil, Street (Alley) Frontier-fortress in Nubia, Hamras, the three, 29 a & b. of, 6 b, 32 a. 100 b. how built, 32 a & b. Istakhr (Persepolis), 112a. 6 Fustat Misr, b, 10 a, nb, Al-Hamra ad-Dunya, 29 a Isthmus (of Suez), 19 b, 58 a. 21 a & b, 23 b, 24 a, 26 a, & b, 32 a & b. lt-fili, 2 b, 10 a, 47 a, 54 a. 27a&b, 29 b, 33 b, 36 b, al-Kuswa, 29 a & b, 32 a Al-Itfihiyah, Province of, 8 b. 47 a, 97 b. &b.' Jesus Christ at, 78 a. al-Wusta, 29a&b, 32 a Jabal al-'Atash,.swAl-'Atash. Fuwah, Province of, 8 a. & b. al-Kabsh, see Al-Kabsh. Harah Zawilah, see Zawilah. al-Kaff, see Al-Kaff. Gates of Usyut, 87 b. HarahZuwailah,^*? Zawilah. al-Kahf, see Al-Kahf. Al-Ghanam, Well of, at Misr, Harat al-Arman, see Arme- at-Tair, see At-Tair. 41 b. nians, quarter of. Yashkur (ibn Adwan ibn Al-Gharbiyah, Province of, ar-Riim, see Romans, Lakhm), see Yashkur. 8 a. quarter of. Al-Jadidiyah,Provinceof,8a. Ibn Ghawatah, Land of, 49a Harran, 64 b. janan ar-Rihan, 21 a. (see Baraghwatah). Hauf Ramsis, 8 a. Jarjar, the river, 108 a. Ghizeh, see Jizah. Hawi, gardens of, 32 b. |aubah, name of the Fayyum, Ghumdan, nib. Heliopolis, 23 b. 18 b, 70 a.

z z 2 356 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Jazirah Bani Nasr, Province Karun, Pool of, 26 a, 32 b. Libyan Mountains, 65 a. of, 8 a. Kasr ash-Shama', 2 1 a, 44 a, Al-Luniyah, name of Egyp- Kusaniya, Province of, 60 b, 112 b. tian Babylon, 21b. 8 a. Al-Khaimat al-Kibliyah, 4 6b. Luxor, 104 b, 105 a. al-Ushmunain, 76 b. Al-Khalij, see Canal. Luzarikun, town of, near Jerusalem, 2 b, 3 a, 58 a. Khalij Amir al-Muminin, Carthage, 108 a & b. capture of, 'by Augustus,' see Canal of Prince of Lydda, relics of Saint George 57 b. the Faithful. at, 93 b. Armenian church of St. Al-Khaluk, Mosque of, 32 b. Sergius at, 3 a. Khams Mudun, 21a. Madinat al-Hajar, 17 a. Armenian monastery of Al-Khandak, 45 b, 98 b. Madmat al-Kuhhan (i.e. St. James at, 3 b. Al-Kharibah, at Usyut, 88 a. Manbaj or Hierapolis), Jew, conversion of, to Chris- Kharij, 17 b. 22 b. - tianity, 44 b, 45 a. Khaukhah, see Passage. Madinat ash Shams, see Jewish cemetery, 43 b, 44 a. Khauliya, City of, 112 a. Heliopolis. Jews, 9 b, 15 a. Khorassanians fought a- Maghir ath-Thilj, church so none at Usyut, 87 b. gainst Marwan II, 60 a, called at Darwah, 77 b. Jibt (A'tyvnTos), name of 92 b. Al-Maghribj^West Africa. capital of Egypt, 23 b. Kift, 7 b. Al-Maja'iz, 32 b. Jisr al-'Ajuz, see 'Wall of the Kirun, City of, 112 a. Al-Majnunah, aqueduct of, Old Woman.' Kubbat al-Hawa, 52 a. 24 a. Al-Jizah, 59 a & b, 60 a. Kulam, nob. Al-Maks, 95 a. Al-Jiziyah, Province of, 8 b, Al-Kulzum, 19 b, 24 a. Manafah, original name of 44b, 46b, 53b, 59 a, 63b, canal from Cairo ends at, Memphis, 68 a. 64 a, 65 a. 58 a. Manbaj (Mabug, Hierapo- 22 b, Al-Juda, Mount, 1 1 1 b. desert of, 54 a. lis), origin of name of, 24 a, Al-Manbaji, History by, see Al-Kabsh, Hill of, 32 b, 35 a. 58 a. Mahbub ibn Kustantin. Al-Kaff, Mount of, 75 b, 76 a. Pharaoh drowned at, 58 a. Manf, see Memphis. Al-Kahf, Mount of, 86 a. Kurds, 2 a & b, 7 a, 25 a, Al-Manhi, Canal of, 18 a, Al-Kahirah, see Cairo. 26 a, 31a, 47a, 59a, 62 a, 69 b, 70 a. Al-Kais, 53 a, 54 a. 67b, 70b, 72a, 75b, 81b, Al-Manufiyah, Province of, tribe of, 33 a. 82a, 88a, 89b, 90b, 96 a. 8 a. Al-Kalis, church so called, Al-Kurun, Mosque of, 34 a. Al-Maris, Province of, 94 a, at San'a, nob. Kus, 81 a, 96 b. 96 a. b. Kalyub, 10 b, 12 b, 13 a. derivation of name of, Al-Mariyah, 107 Al-Kantarah, 23 b, 32 b, 81 a. Market-place ofBarbar, 22 b. 52 a, 58 b. wali of, 81 b, 82 a. Wardan, 32 a & b. also called Al-Hamra al- Kus Kam, Jesus Christ at, Marur ad-Dair in Yaman, Wusta, 29 b. 78 b. 1 n b. Al-Karafah at Misr, origin Maryut, 29 b. of name of, 42 a. Lahf al-Jabal, 65 a. Mecca, 24 b. tribe of, 22 b. Lahun, see Hajar Lahun. dearth at, 58 b. Karda, Mount, nib. Lawatis, the, 33 a, 98 a. Medina, 24 b. Al-Karubis, Land of, 101 a. Libya, 57 a. dearth at, 58 b. INDEX II. 357

Memphis, 64 b, 65 a, 66 b, Misr, 42 b ff.; at Al- Rashid, see Rosetta. 67 b, 68 a. 'Adawiyah, 46 a. Raudah, Island of, 58 b. origin of name of, 68 a. Nicaea, Council of, 1 2 a, 55 b. Rayan, Valley of, 72 b. Miriam, Pool of, 56 b. Nile, fish of, 19 b. Red Sea, 58 a. Misr, City of, see Fustat Misr. inundation of churches Rhoda, Island of, see Raudah. Island of, 33 b, 64 a. by, 41 b, 59 b. Ar-Rif, see Delta. Moon, Mountains of, 26 b, length of, 26 b. Rifah, 74 b. 101 a. rise and fall of, 1 8 b, 20 a, Romans, in North Africa, Mountains to West of Nile, 26b, 41a, 64b, 76b, 95 b, 107 a. 49 a. 102 b. Church of the, at Al- Al-Mu'allakah, Church of, rise of, hastened by pray- Kantarah, 52 a, cf. 53 a. in Misr, 9b, lib, 31a, ers of Christians, 60 a. quarter of the, 5 a, 6 a, 2 3b. 39 a, 112 b. riseof,intheFayyum,69b. sea of the, 19 b. Al-Muharrakah, origin of sources of, 26 b, 101 a. Rosetta, 8 a. name of, 79 a & b. Black, 101 b. Rum, sea of, see Romans, bank a. sea Al-Maksam, of, 24 White, 101 b. of the (19 b). Mukattam Hills, 22 b, 35 a, Yellow, 10 1 b. 52 a & b. Nineveh, see Fast of Nineveh As-Sadir, 58 b. origin of name of, 48 b. (cancelled by Ibn al- Sailah, 73 a. a. Al-Mukurrah, 94 b, 99 Kanbar, 1 5 b). As-Sa'ir, bank of, 34 b. king of, 105 a. Nitre, Lake of, 20 a. Sakifat as-Sari, 32 b. Munyah Bani Khasib, 77 b. Nubia, 94 a ff. Sakiyah Musa, 92 a. Bu Kais, a name of M. conversion of, 96 a. Salt-lakes, 20 a. Bani Khasib, 77 b. letters from, 106 b. Samalus, Arab tribe of, 20 a. Munyatash-Shammas, 46 b, under jurisdiction of Samannud, 57 b, 73 a. 65 b, 66 b. Alexandrian see, 99 a. As-Samannudiyah, Province as-Sudan, 44 a, 53 a. provinces of, 99 a. of, 8 a. al-Umara, 34 b. Nubian characters, 98 b. Samaritan cemetery, 43 b. Province Nubians invade a. a. Al-Murtahiyah,' of, Egypt, 97 Samaritans, 9 7b. San'a, nob, 112a. Al-Muzahamiyah, Province Oases, The, 8 1 a, 87 b, 93 a ff. Sanbat, 13 a. 8 a. of, Kiffc buried in, ^03 a. Sandal, pavilion of, 27 b. Al - Bahr al - Muzallam, see Sanhur, 44 b. Sea of Darkness. Passage of Al-Istabl, 32 a. Sarandib, see Ceylon. Pentapolis, 21a. Sardus, Canal of, 23 a. Nahur, 78 a. Persepolis (Istakhr), 112a. Sea of Darkness, 49 a, 54 a, Nakadah, 7 b. Persia, 112a. 65 a. Nakyus, 29 b. contiguous to India, Hedjaz, 58 a. An-Nastarawiyah, Province 108 b. Syrian, 58 a. 8 a. of, Persians, 57 a, 60 a. Sebaste, Martyrs of, 12 a, Natu, 98 a, 101 a. Philae, Island of, 100 b. 51a, 87 a. Nawasa, District of, 71a. Shahran, 47 a, 49 b. Nestorian burying-places, Rabi'ah, tribe of, 101 b. Shanah, first city built in 44 a. Ramlah, 18 b, 70 a. the Fayyum, 70 b. Nestorian monastery at Ras al-Manhi, 70 a. Shinara, 91b, 92 a. 358 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Ash-Sharkiyah, Province of, Taha al-Madinah, 74 a, 77 a, Uswan, i9b,83a,98a, 100b. 7 b, 58 b. 86 a. meaning of name of, Sheba, Queen of, 105 a. At-Tair, Mount of, 76 a. 101 a. where situated, 105 a. Takhum, 96 a. Al-Wadi (Nubia), 98 a. Shubra, 71 b. At-Talimun, Mount of, 88 a. Wadi 'l-'Ain, 92 b. Murayyik, 45 a. Tall-Bastah, see Bastah. Wadi VArabah, 56 b.

Shutb, 87 b," 88 a. Tamwaih, 5 a, 46 b, 65 b, 66 b, Wadi Habib, 22 b, 49 a, meaning of name of, 87 b. 67 a & b. 53 b, 65 b, 66 a, 80 b. Sinai, Mount, 56 b. Tanbadhah, see Tunbudha. Wadi '1-Mukaddas, 19 b. Sinjar, 38 a, 80 a. Thamanin, Village of, 1 1 1 b. Wadi Rayan, see Rayan. ' ' Soudanese, 39 a. Thirst, Mount of,' 95 a. Wall oftheOldWoman,' 1 9 b. Spain, 107 b. Tiberias, 18 b, 70 a, 95 a. built by Stone of Lahun, see Hajar Tinnis, 7 b, 19 b, 57 a. Cleopatra, 57 b. Lahiin. At-Tinnur, 52 a. West Africa, 44 a, 61 a, 107 a. Street of Glass-blowers, 32 a. Toledo, capture of, 107 b. West Africans, 65 a. As-Sudan, Church of, at Tuhurmus, 62 a. White Nile, 95 a, 101 b. Munyat as-Sudan, 46 b. Tulaitalah, see Toledo. Suk Barbar, see Market- Tunbudha, 31a, 90 a. Yakhtak (moving stones place. Tura, 47 a, 48 b, 49 a. between Yakhtak and As-Sukkarah, Pavilion of. Tus, 6 a. Kharij), 17 b. 24 a. Tuwah, 91b. Yaman, nob. ' Suk Wardan, see Market- Queen of, i.e. Queen of place. Udrunkah, 74 b. Sheba,' 105 a. Sun, City of, i.e. Tadmor, Al-'Ukab, 92 b. Yellow Nile, 10 1 b. 112 a. 'Ukbara, Land of, 94 b. As-Suyutiyah, Province of, Al-'Ula, 101 a. Zawilah, quarter of, 2 a & b, a. a. 9 Al-Ushmunain, 23 b, 74 a, 3 3., 5 Syrian Sea, 58 a. 76 a & b, 90 b, 92 a. Zidan, Mount of, 94 b. restored by Belshazzar, Az-Zuhri, 3 b, 5 a & b, 24 b. Tadmor, 112 a. 23 b, 80 a. Zukak, see Alley. Tafah, 100 a. Province of, 8 b. Zuwailah. see Zawilah. INDEX III. 359

III. INDEX OF PERSONAL NAMES.

Aaron, 19 b, 20 b. Abrashit, magician, 71b. Amin ad-Daulah ibn al- Al- A'azz Hasan ibn Salamah 'Ad, 68 b. Musawwif, 39 a. al-Bakilani, 4 b. 'Adi ibn Murrah, 22 a. Ibn Amin al-Mulk ibn al- Abamun, see Amnion, Saint. Al-'Adid li-dini 'llah, Caliph, Muhaddath Abu Sa'id ibn Abatir, Church of, near Al- 7 a, 25 a, 27 a, 30a, 31a, Yuhanna the Alexandrian Bahnasa, 75 a. 33 b, 36 b, 37 a, 46 b, scribe, 38 b. at Mallawi, 74 b. 82 a, 96 a. Al-Amir bi-ahkami 'llah, 'Abd al-Aziz, son of Caliph Adim, father of Manfa'us, Caliph, 2 b, 9 a, 32 a, 34a, Marwan I ibn al-Hakam, 68 a. 42 b, 44 b, 57 b, 61 b, called Abu '1-Usbu', 47 a, Al-Afdal Shahanshah, vizier, 62 a, 64 a, 67 a. b. 52 a ff., 70 b. 9 a, 34 b, 44 b, 50 b, 57 b, Amnion, Saint, 73 'Abdallah ibn 'Amr ibn al- 67 a. 'Amr ibn al-'Asi ibn 'Adi, 22 *Asi, 21 b, 28 b. Aftutfs, King, b (cf. 2ia&b, 22a&b, 23a, 'Abdallah ibn Sa'id ibn fjtis). 24 a, 42 a, 91 b, 107 b. Mufarraj, 21b. Agatho, thirty-ninth Patri- builds wall of Al- 'Abdallah ibnaz-Zubair, 2 2b. arch of Alexandria, 77 a. Jizah, 59 a. 'Abd al-Masih, 27 a. Agathodaemon, 64 b. digs Canal of Amir 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Has- Aghadimun, see Agathodae- al-Mu'minin, 24 a, 58 b. san, 29 a. mon. grants safe-con- 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Mu- Agia Sophia, Church of, at duct to Patriarch Benja- 'awiyah ibn Khadij ibn Misr, 38 b. min and Christians, 80 b. emir of 22 b. Ahmad ibn 28 b. b. Hajar , Egypt, Tulun, Mosque of, 52 Ibn 'Abdun, 13 b. Aimin, Church of, at Barda- Anba Antunah, see Anthonv. Abirun, Monastery of, at nuhah, 74 a. Andronicus, thirty-seventh Biisir Kuridus, 92 b. 'Ain as-Saif, wall of Uswan, Patriarch, 80 b. Abraha. al- Ashram, see Abra- 101 b. Anf adh-Dhahab, seeTa] ad- ham, governor of Yaman. Alexander the Great, era of, Daulah. Abraham, the Patriarch, 28b, see Seleucian era. Ansina, son of Kift, son of founded Ushmu- Mizraim, 86 b. Isaac, and Jacob, Church nain, 76 b. Antaniyus, see Anthony. of, in Al-Hamra, 33 b. Alexander, forty-third Patri- Anthony, Saint, 54 b ff. bishop of the Fayyum, arch of Alexandria, 79 b, altar of, 66 a. 18 b, 70 a. 80 a. Church of, attached governor ofYaman, nob, 'Alyun, the heretic, death of, to Church of St. Michael, in a. 92 b. 38 a. 36o CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Anthony, Saint, Church of, in 'Aim 'Abd al-Walid ibn Balutus, monk and heretic, Monastery of Nahya, 63 b. Dauma', son of Kift, son 55 b, 56 a. Monastery of, near of Mizraim, 92 b. Bamin, see Poemen. Red Sea eastwards from Aura, 71b. Bandalus, Church of, at Al- Itfih, 10 a, 54 ff. Al-'Aziz bi'llah, Caliph, 34 b, Khusus, 89 a. Monastery of, at Kift, 35 a, 41a, 94 a. Banu Bahr ibn Suwadah 103 a. Banu '1-Azrak, 29 a, 32 b. ibn Afsa, 32 a. Monastery of, near Banu Hajas, 22 b, 42 a. Uswan, 102 a. Babnudah, see Paphnutius. Banu Humaim, 82 a. Antunah, see Anthony. Badr al-Jamali, vizier of Banu '1-Maghafir ibn Ya'far, Anub, Saint, 38 a, 90b, 104 a. Caliph Al-Mustansir, 47 b, 22 a. Church of, 38a; Mon- 51 a, 98 b. Banu Musa, Monastery of, asteries of, 90 b, 104 a. Abu Bagham, Saint, body of, 81 a. Abu '1-Arah, Church of, at 60 b, 88 a, 90 a. Banu Nabih, 29 a. Barnil, 56 a. Church of, at Dimnu, Banu Surus, 66 b. Arcadius, Emperor, 49 a. 86 a. Banu Wail, 22a. Ardashir, 19 a. Church of,at Al-Kalan- Banu Yusuf ibn Wa'il, 42 a. Ardashir, see Artaxerxes. dimun, 92 a. Abu '1-Barakat ibn Abi '1- Arghash, son of 'Ad, 68 b. Churches of, at Al- Fakhr ibn Sibuwaih, 31b. Armenius, Saint, 73 b. Kharibah, 88 a. Abu '1-Baraka.t ibn Kita- Arsenius, Saint, 49 a, 50 a. Church of, at Munyat miyah, scribe, 42 b. Church of, in Monastery Andunah, 60 b. Abu '1-Barakat ibn al-Laith, of Al-Kusair, 50 a. Church of, in Monas- see Abu '1-Barakat ibn Abi Festival of, 49 a & b. tery at Samallut, 88 a. '1-Laith. Artaxerxes, king of Persia, Monastery of, near Aba '1-Barakat ibn Abi Usyut, called Dair at- '1-Laith, metwalli of Di- Artaxerxes Ochus, 60 a. Tinadah, 90 a. wan at-Tahkik, 2 b, 40 b, Ar'u, 68 a. Bah, 68 a (son of Baisur, son 41b, 50 b, 51 a. Aryat the Abyssinian, 1 1 1 b. of Ham). Abu '1-Barakat Mauhub ibn Arzakusha, King, 68 b. Al-Baha 'Alt of Damascus, Mansur ibn Mufarraj, the Al-As'ad Abu '1-Khair Jirjah 2 a, 5 b, 6 a. deacon, biographer of ibn Wahab, called Ibn Bahram, Armenian vizier of Patriarch Christodulus, al-Mikat, 25 a and b. Al-Hafiz, 6 a; becomes 108 a. Asad ad-Din Shirkuh the monk, 84 a. Abu '1-Barakat ibn Abi Sa'id Kurd, see Shirkuh. Bahriya, first Christian in Hablan, 37 a. Asghusa, King, 68 b. Nubia, 96 a. Abu '1-Barakat ibn Shadid Ashhab ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, Al-Baisani, see Al-Kadi al-Mulk, 25 a. 28 b. '1-Fadil. Baramus, Virgin of, see Mary, Athanasius, Saint, bishop of Baisur, son of Ham, 67 b, B. V. of Baramus. Alexandria, 55 b. 92 b, 102 b. Barbar ibn Abi Habib, 22 b. Church of, at Al-Kulzum, Bakhum, see Pachomius. Barbara, Saint, Church of, in 58 a. Al-Bakilani, see Al-A'azz Monastery of Al-Kusair, Church of, in Philae, 104b. Hasan ibn Salamah. 51a. Atrib, son of Mizraim, 68 a. Baldwin, king of Jerusalem, Abu Barta'u, see Bartholo- Augustus Caesar, 57 b. 57 b. mew, Saint. INDEX 111. 361

Bartholomew, Saint, body Busir, sorcerer, 17 b, 68 b, of, in Monastery of Abu of, 82 b. 92 b. Basandah, 81 b. Church of, near Bah- Butrus, see Peter. Cosmas and Damian, Saints, nasa, 75 a. Church of, at Damuh, Church of, in Oasis of Canaan, son of Ham, 23 b. 66 b. Al-Bahnasa, 75 a. Chosroes, nib. in Monastery of Church of, at Turfah, Christodulus, sixty-sixth Pa- Al-Kusair, 51a. 74 b. triarch, 37 b, 81 a, 90 b, Cyriacus, king of Nubia, Baruba, builder of fortress 98 a, 101 a. 97 a. of Philae, 100 b. Christopher, Saint, 75 a. name of great king of Abu Basandah, see Pisentius, Claudius, Saint, Church of, Nubia, 99 a. Saint. at Ishnin, 91a. Cyril, sixty-seventh Patri- Bashir ibn an-Nashr, Hegu- at Al-Kalandimun, arch, 44 b, 47 b, 98 b. men, 34 a. 92 a. Cyrus, Patriarch, 21a. Abu Bashunah, see Pacho- at Munyah Bani mius. Khasib, 88 b. Dalas, founder of town of Basil, Saint, 55 a & b. Clement, Saint, book of, his name, 91a. ' Basmantah, martyr, body of, 108 b. Daluk,the 01d\Voman,'7ob. 90 a. Cleopatra, Queen, 57 b. Dalukah, see Daluk. Church of, at Tunbudha, name of Ushmunain, Daniel, the Prophet, 21a. 90 a. 76 b. Church of,at Ishnin, Basradiladus, see Theodore, Coluthus, Saint, martyrdom 91a. Saint. of, 86 b. resting-place of Bastidar, Church of, at Shi- Monastery of, near 66 b. nara, 91b. Ansina, 86 b. bishop of Tamwaih, 44 b. c of, 18 a. Belshazzar, King, 23 b, Coluthus, Saint, body Dauma , Pharaoh, b, 70 80 a. a Church in 90 (Kulutus) ; David, King, family of, Benjamin, thirty-eighth Pa- of, at Dalas, 91b. Abyssinia, 106 a. triarch of Alexandria, in Al-Hamra al- throne of, in Abyssi- 63 b. Wusta, 32 a, 34 a, 39 a. nia, 106 a & b. flight of, 80 a & b. attached to Church martyr, body of, 90 a. Bili ibn 'Umar ibn al-Haf of Abu Nafar in Hamra, Demetrius, twelfth Bishop ibn Kuda'ah, 32 a. 33 b. of Alexandria, 23 b. Aba Bimah, see Epime, Saint. in Monastery of Diocletian, Emperor, 12 a, Buddhas, 108 b. Abu Basandah, 81 b. 61 a, 104 a. Bukht Nasr, see Nebuchad- (Kulutus), Mo- Dionysius, fourteenth Bishop nezzar. nastery of, at Usyut, 90 a. of Alexandria, 55 a. Abu Buktur, see Victor, (Kullfitus)j Mo- Dioscorus, Patriarch ofAlex- Saint. nastery of, near Kift, andria, 12 a. Bula, see Paul. 103 b. Church of, at Abtujah, Bulus, see Paul. Constantine, Emperor, 54 b. 73 b. Buri(Taj al-Muluk), brother Cosmas, Saint, altar of, 41b. at Jalfah, 74 a. of Saladin, 42 b, 70 b. Church of, at Itfih, Ibn Dukhan, 31b. Busim, son of Caphtorim, 56 a. Duldul, mule of Mahomet, 102 b. and Damian, Church 29 a.

3 a [II. 7.] 362 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Ephraim, sixty-second Pa- Fakhr ibn al-Kanbar, see headed by Bashmurites, triarch of Alexandria, Mark. 84 b-86 a. 34 b. Fakhr ad-Daulah Abu '1-Ma- Fibruniyah, see Febronia. Epime, Saint, Church of, at karim ibn al-Fath, scribe, Aba Fiiimun, see Phile- Munyat Andunah, 60 b. 82 b. mon. in Monastery of ad-Din, wali of Misr, Aba Fu, Church of, at Ishnin, Tamwaih, 67 b. called Ghulam al-Bani- 91 a. Eustathius, Melkite Pa- yasi, 59 b. triarch of Alexandria, Abu '1-Fakhr ibn Azhar Gabriel the Archangel, 49 b. as-Sani', 44 b. Church of, at Aflah az- Eutychius, Melkite Patri- ibn Furaij ibn Khu- Zaitun, 72 b. arch of Alexandria, 55 a, wair, 33 b. -in Monastery of 58 b. called Sa'idan, scribe Al-Ahnas, 92 a. Ezekiel, the Prophet, 21a. of salaries, 33b. at Bahnasa, 75 a. Sa'id ibn Busaiwah, at Bahumalis, 73 b. Abu '1-Fada'il ibn Abi 25 b. at Bardanuhah, '1-Laith, the scribe, 40 a Abu 'n-Najib Abu 1- 74 a. & b. Barakat, called Ibn Sa'id. at Darwah, 77 b. brother of Al-Afdal scribe for religious matters in Al-Hamra, 27 a. Shahanshah, 51a. under Al-Hafiz, 24 b, 25 a. at Kufadah, 73 b. calledIbnSittumi'ah(?), Aba Falukh, Church of (near atKamulah, 104a. b. near a. scribe of Amir'Ali Ahmad Usyut ?), 90 Kift, 103 in caliphate ofAl-Mustadi. Abu Fanah, Church of, at at Mallawi, 74 b. 38a. Al-Khusus, 89 a. at Misr, 39 a. the Neslorian, called Abu '1-Faraj [Ya'kub ibn at Naklun, 71a. at Physician of the 'Azami- Yiisuf] ibn Killis, vizier, Saft Abu Jirja, yah, 42 b. 17 b, 23 a, 69 a. 74 a. ibn ash-Shubramu- al-Maghrabi, vizier, at Saft al-Muhal- rayyiki, 45 a. 41b, 42 a, 46 b. labi, 74 b. Ibn A bu '1-Fada'il ibn Far ibn at Saft ruj , Zanbur, scribe, Rashin, 37 b. 33 b, 45 a. 75 b. ibn Abu Sa'id, 30 a. ibn Zar'ah, afterwards Churches of, at Shi- Fadl ibn a called Salih,' 17 b, 69 Mark, forty-third nara, 91b. (Mufaddal). Patriarch, see Mark. Church of, at Taha Abu '1-Fadl ibn al-Baghdadi, Farik (son of Baisur, son of al-Madinah, 74 a. 40 a. Ham), 68 a. at Tansa, 69 b. Yuhanna ibn Ki'il Farmashat, brother of 'Ad, at Ushmunain, al-Uskuf, scribe of Shah- 68 b. 104 a. anshah, 30 b, 34 b, 37 b, Abu '1-Fath ibn al-Akmas, near Usyut ? 90 b. 61 b. called Ibn al-Haufi, bishop of Misr, 26 a, 37 b, Ja'far ibn *Abd al- painter, 5 a. 39 a, 45 a & b. Mun'im, called Ibn Ab'i as-Sa'idi, priest, 39 a. seventieth Patriarch of Kirat, 42 b. Al-Fayyum, son of Kift, son Alexandria, 37 b, 38 a, Banu Fahm, 32 a. of Mizraim, 69 b. 39 b, 66 a. Al-Fa'iz, Caliph, 41 b, 44 b. Febronia, captured and be- Gabriel, scribe, 27 a. INDEX III. 3 63

Gabriel, son of Caliph Al- George, Saint, Church of, Gregory, Armenian Patri- Hafiz, see Jabril. adjoining Church of St. arch, 47 b. George, Saint, altars of. 45a, Mennas, 30 b. Saint, Church of, above 64 b. attached to Church that of St. George at Tura, appearance of, 82 a, of St. Mercurius in Al- 48 b. 93 a. Hamra, 37 b. body of, 93 a & b. at Munyah Bani Habib ibn Mughaffal, 22 a. Church of, in Abyssi- Khasib, 78 a. Hadhil ibn Madrakah, 32 b. nia, 105 b. at Shinara, 91b. Abu Hadr of Ushmunain, at Ansina, 87 a. at Taha al-Ma- Church of, at Munyah at Ashrubah, 75 b. dinah, 74 a. Bani Khasib, 88 b. at 81 a. at Bahjiirah, Tura, 47 b. Abu Hadri, Saint, body of, atAl-Bahnasa,73b. at Tamwaib, 67 b. 101 b. in Oasis of Al- atUshmunain,io4a. Church of, in Island Bahnasa, 93 a. at Uswan, 102 a. of Elephantine, 101 b; at Bardanuhah, near Usyut ? 90 b. Monastery of, 102 a. 74 a. attached to Church Haffaz, a black, 90 b. at Bulak, 60 b. of St. Victor, 41 b. Al-Hafiz, Caliph, 2 b, 6 a, at Bunumrus, 60b. at Wana Busir, 69 a. 9 a, 25 a, 30 b, 39 a, 40 a near Bush- Bana, ruined, 41 a. & b, 46 b, 51 a, 66 a, 79 a, 69 a. Festival of, 93 a. 84 a, 93 a. at Fanu, 73 a. Monastery of, at Hul- Hagar, 57 a. called Al-Hamra, wan, 53 a. Hajas ibn Yusuf ibn Wa'il, 24 a, 25 b, 28 a. at Al-Khandak, 22 b. ' in Monastery of 98 b. Abu '1-Hakam, relative of Honev,' 88 a. at Tura, 48 a. Abu '1-Barakat ibn Abu at Hulwan, called Nestorian Monastery '1-Laiih, 51 a. ' Chamberlains,' 53 a. of, at Misr, 42 b. Hakanda. Abu Zakari Mina at Idiijah, 69 b. Nunnery of, at Kift, ibn Kafri, called Ibn at Athlidim, 92 a. 103 a. Bulus, 89 a. at Iknu, 82 a. bishop of Natu, 98 a, Abu Hakanda, Church of, Armenian Church of, 101 a. at Al-Khusus, 89 a. at Itfih, 55 b. son of Mennas, the Mu- Al-Hakim, Caliph, 17 b, Church of, at Kalan- kaukis, 23 a, 29 a, 80 a, 32a, 40a, 41a, 46a, 47a, dimun, 92 a. 86 b. 49 b, 50 b, 52 b, 61 a & b, atKamulah, 104 a. son of Zacharias Israel, 69 a, 76 a, 95 b, 101 b, at Kulam, nob. king of Nubia, 94 b, 97 b. 104 a, 106 b. atAl-Khusus, 89 a. as-Sa'idi (of Upper Abu Halba, martyr, body of, at Kus, 81 b. Egypt), priest and scribe, 92 a. in Monastery of 60 b. Abu Halbanah, Monastery Al-Kusair, 50 b, 51 a. Abu Ghalib ibn Abi '1-Ma- of, near Ikhmim, 86 a. at Mallawi, 74 b. karim al-Bilbaisi, 30 a. Abu Halbas, martyr, body above Church of Gregory, bishop of Al-Kais, of, 78 a. St. Mennas in Al-Hamra, 53 a, 54 a; Monastery of, Ham, son of Noah, 23 b, 30 a. at Hulwan, 53 a. 48 b. a 2 3 6 4 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Haman, officer of Pharaoh, Iklfidah, see Claudius. James,Saint,sonofZebedee, 23 a. Ikludiyas, see Claudius. the Apostle, Armenian Harminah, see Armenius, '11m as-Sarf Abu '1-Ma- Church of, at Al-Bustan, Saint. karim, 60 b. 1 b, 2 a. Abu Harudah, martyr, body 'Ilmas-Su'ada.Abu'1-Yaman Armenian Mon- at of, 90 b. ibn Sani'at al-Mulk Abu astery of, Jerusalem, Church of, at Su- '1-Faraj ibn al-Wazir, 34 a. musta, 90 b. Isaac, bishop of the Fayyum, Jauhar al-Mu'izzi, 24 a. Harufus, Bishop, body of, in 71b. Jausar, 94 a. monastery at Usyut, 88 a. the Patriarch, 22 b. Jeremiah, the Prophet, 2 1 a. Harun ar-Rashid, Caliph, forty- first Patriarch of Jesus Christ, 75 b. 52 a. Alexandria, 53 a. Monastery of, 76 a. Abu'l-Hasan ibn al-Amahh, Saint, body of, at Al-Kais, sojourn of, in Egypt, scribe, 25 a. 91a; Monastery and 20 b, 44 a, 75b, 76a, 78a b. Sa'id ibn Mansur, Church of, at Hajar La- & scribe, 43 b. hun, 73 a. sojourn of, at Al-Mu- Hassan, poet, 29 a. Isaiah, the Prophet, 20 a. harrakah, 78 b. Hatalba al-Ghuzzi, 26 a. Abu Ishak, see Isaac, Saint. mark of the hand of, Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah, 29 a. Ibrahim ibn Abi Sahl, on pillar at Ushmunain, Heraclius,Emperor, 80 a & b. 77 a. and his Hermes Trismegistus, 52 a, ibn'Abdal-Masih,38b. Apostles, ap- 64 b. Ishak al-Mu'allim, called pearance of, at Naklun, Hisham, Caliph, 23 a, 26 b, 'the Blue,' 103b. 71a. see 29 b. Ishmael, the Patriarch, 57 a Jirj, George. Hosea, the Prophet, 20 b. & b. Abu Jirj, see George, Saint. Hul\van,sonof'Abdal-'Aziz, Isma'il ibn 'Abbas, 28 b. Jirjah, see George. see son of Caliph Marwan I, Istafura, see Christopher, Jirj is, George. 52 a. Saint. Jirjiyus, see George. Aba Hur, see Or, Saint. Istat, see Eustathius. Jiyul, King, 112a. Husain, the Kurd, 7 a. Itfih, son of Malik, son of John, Saint, Evangelist, in ibn al-Hafiz, 54 a, 66 a. Tadras, son of Mizraim, Church of, West Africa, 54 a. 107 a. Ibrahim, brother of Caliph Itfih, son of Mizraim, 47 a. altar of, 43 b. Al-Ma'mun, 97 b. 'Izz al-Kifat ibn Mustafa Abu Karkas, Church of, king of Vaman, see Abra- '1-Mulk Abu Yusuf, 81 b. at Kamulah, 104 a. ham. 'Izz al-Kufat Abu '1-Fakhr Baptist, Saint, Church of, son of Mahomet, 29 a. ibn Sulaiman, scribe, 59a. over tomb of Sarur, ad- Ibsadah, Saint, miracles per- joining Church of St. formed by, 102 a. Jabril, son of Caliph Al- George Al-Hamia, 24 b, Church of,near Uswan, Hafiz, 46 b. 25 a & b. 102 a. Jacob, the Patriarch, 20 b, attached to Idns identical with Hermes, 57 a. that of St. Mercurius in 64 b. at Naklun, 7 1 b. Hamia (once on river- Al-Ikhshidi, see Kafur al- fiftieth Patriarch of Alex- bank), 37 a. Ustadh. andria, 80 b. Armenian, in INDEX III. tf5

quarter of Zuwailah, 2 a, John, seventy- fourth Patri- Ibn al-Kanbar, see Mark ibn 3 a, 5 a. arch of Alexandria, 28 a, Mauhub. John Baptist, Saint, Church 38 a, 45 b, 59 b, 66 b. Karbil, Church of, at Al- of, rock-hewn at the Mon- Jonas, bishop of Damsis, Bahnasa, 75 a. astery of Al-Kusair, 49 a, 14 a (cf. 9 a). Karim ad-Daulah ibn'Ubaid 51 a. bishop of Damietta, 63 b. ibn Kurrus, 31a. at Misr over monk, 47 b. Abu Karkar, Monastery of, tank, overlooking Pool of seventy-second Patriarch, see Gregory, Monastery of, the Abyssinians, 39 a. see John. at Hulwan. above Church of Joseph, the Patriarch, 18a & Ivarun (Korah), officer of St. George, at Tura, 48 b. b, 19 b, 28 b, 68 a. Pharaoh, 23 a. Melkite Monastery prison of, 17 b, 20 b. Al-Kasim ibn *Ubaid Allah, of, near Lake of the Abys- set the Fayyum in wali of Egypt, disastrous sinians, 39 b, 40 a. order, 18 a, 69b, 70a, 71 b. visit of, to White Monas- bishop of Atrib, 37 b. Joseph, Saint, in Egypt, 20b, tery, 83 a &b, 84 a. Tamwaih, 5 a, 44 b. 44 a, 75 b, 78 b, 81 b. Abu '1-Kasim Khalil, physi- martyr of Uswan, 41b. death of, 78 b. cian and philosopher of body of, removed from fifty-second Patriarch of Ascalon, 3 b, 4 b. Damanhur to Al-Adawi- Alexandria, 97 a & b. Kasra, see Chosroes. yah, 45 b. Melkite bishop of Misr, Ibn Katib al-Farghani, Church of, at Aflah 40 b. 33 b. az-Zaitun, 72 b. Nestorian priest, 43 a. Ibn al-Khafir, wali of Oases, at Al-Bahnasa, Joshua, son of Nun, 21a, 93 a. 73 b, 75 a. 103 b. Kha'il, see Michael. at Kus, 81 b. Judas Iscariot, 12 a. Abu '1-Khair, called Ibn al- at Ishnin, 91 a. Judham, 22 a. Amadi, 38 a. at Al-Kalandimun, Aba Jul, Church of, at Itfili, as-Sairafi, 59 a. 92 a. 56 a. Abu '1-Khair ibn Sharahil, at Najaj, 74 b. Julian, Emperor, 54 b, 55 a. 22 b. at Saul, 56 a. Julius of Akfahs, Saint, 91a. Khamarawaih, son of Ah- at Udrunkah, 74 b. Juraij ibn Mina, see George, mad ibn Tulun, 49 a, Monastery of, near son of Mennas. 5b, 51 b. Usyut, also called Ibsha'i, Justinian, Emperor, 58 a. Kharaba, see Kharbata. 90 a. Kharbata, 52 a, 79 a & b. monk and architect, 51a. Al-Kadi'1-Fadilibn'Alial- Ibn Khasib, founder of of Samannud, Priest, af- Baisani, 1 1 a. Munyah, 77 b. terwards Patriarch, 73 a. Kafur al-Ustadh, called al- Abu '1-Khasib, 51a. fortieth Patriarch of Ikhshidi, 18 b, 23 a, 69 b, Khassat ad-Daulah Abu '1- Alexandria, 53 a. 96 b. Fada'il, 31b. forty-eighth Patriarch of Al-Kahhal, Kadi, 9 a. Khush, king of Persians, see Alexandria, 23 b. Abu Kais, Church of, at Artaxerxes Ochus. 18 seventy-second Patriarch Munyah, 78 a. Kift, son of Mizraim, a, of Alexandria, 9 a, 1 2 b, Al-Kais, son of Al-Harith, 68 a, 69 b, 76 b, 78 a, 86 a. 14 b, 30 b, 31a, 36 b, 91b. 81 a, b, 92 b, 103 a b. Ibn b. son of son 37 b, 45 > 48 Kamil, 104 Kilkili, Kharaba, 366 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

of Malik, son of Baisur, Al-Maghafir ibnYa'far, 22 a. Manbali, Church of, at 'AI- son of Ham, 52 a. Mah, son of Baisur, son of wah, 95 b. c Banu Kinanah ibn Umar Ham, 68 a. Manfa'us, son of 'Adim, and ibn al-Kibr ibn Fahm, Abu '1-Mahajir, 32 b. king of Egypt, 68 a, 87 b, 32 b. Mahbub ibn Kustantin al- 102 b. Al-Kindi, historian, 29 a, Manbaji, historian, 22 b, built Kais, 91b. 32 a. 55 a, 112 a. Mansiir ibn Salim, 31a. Kirun, built Aukir, 112a. Al-Mahdi ibn al-Mansur, Abu Mansur, metwalli (built Korah, see Karun. Caliph, 23 b. walls of Cairo), 48 b. Kuhtan, son of Falik, 19 a. Mahomet, 29 a. 86 b. ibn Bulus, 43 b. Kullutus, see Coluthus. words of, in reference to ibn Abu '1-Yaman Wazir, Abu Kultah, see Coluthus. Copts, 28 b, 29 a. 44 b, 67 a. Kuraish, tribe of, 22 a, 29 a. Mahrabil, martyr, Church Mara the Arab, 82 a. Kurrah, see Cyrus. of, in Monastery of Tam- Maratmaryam, see Mary,B.Y Kus, son of Kift, son of waih, 67 b. Mari Jirjis, j^George, Saint. Mizraim, 78 a, 81 a. Al-Majid Faris, son-in-law Mari Saba, see Sabas. Ibn al-Kustal, see Abu Yasir. of Shawar and wait of Mark ibn Mauhub, called Aba Kustdl, Church of, at Kus, 82 a. Ibn al-Kanbar, 9 aff., 5 1 b. Bardanuhah, 74 a. Makar, see Macarius. bishop of Misr, 30 b, 32 a. Abu Makar, see Macarius, forty-ninth Patriarch of Saint. Alexandria, 23 b. Lady, The, see Mary, B.V. Makarim ibn Abu '1-Minna, seventy-third Patriarch of Lakhm, 22 a, 29 a. 31a. Alexandria, 5 a, 9 b, 12 b, Lazarus, Saint, bishop of Abu '1-Makarim ibn Hanna, 13 b, 37 a?, 43 a, 45 b, Cyprus, 62 b. 33 b, 34 a. 48 a, 64 a. resurrection of, 62 b. Mahbub ibn Abu '1-Faraj Mark, Saint, 20 b; altar of, Lot, the Patriarch, 20 b. al-'Abudi, 40 b. 66 b. Aba Lukum, Churches of, Al-Makin Abu '1-Barakat, Church of, at Al-Bah- (near Usyiit?), 90 b. called IbnKitamah, scribe, nasa, 73 b, 75 a. 39 a, 41b, 63 a. at Jizah, ruined Macarius, sixty-ninth Patri- Abu Makrufah (Macrobius), by Ghuzz, 59 b, 60 a. arch of Alexandria, 57 b. 90 a. at Sakiyah Mahfuz, Saint, 65 b, 66 a. Abu Maksin, see Maximus. 74 b. c Church of, attached Malik, son of Ad, 68 b. at TaM al-Madi- to Agia Sophia, 38 b. Al-Malik al-'Adil Abu nah, 74 a. Desert of, see Wadi Bakr (brother of Sala- atUshmunain,io4a. Habib. din), 5 b. See of, 99 a, 105 a. Monastery of, in Al-Malik Abu '1-Khair ibn Martha, Saint, see Mary and Wadi Habib, 44 a, 47 b, Sharahil, 22 b. Martha. Sob. Al-Ma'mun, Caliph, 52 a, Martiiti (Mother of God), monks from, took 97 b. Church of, 44 a & b. refuge at Nahya, 63 b. Manasseh, Church of, at An- Marwan I, Caliph, 22 b. the martyr, 77 a. sina, 87 a. Marwan II, Caliph, 1 9 a, Macrobius, see Abu Makru- Al-Manbaji, see Mahbub ibn 60 a, 77 a & b, 84 a & b, fah. Kustantin. 96 b, 1 01 a. INDEX III. 3 6 7

in Marwan II, Caliph, death of, Mary, B.V., Church of, Mary, B. V., Church of, near 92 b. Monastery of Abu Ishak, Tamwaih, 67 b. prophecy of death of, 7 7 a. 73^. at Tansa, 69 b. Mary, B.V., birth of, 64 a. at Ishnin, 91a. at Udrunkah, 74 b. in Egypt, 44 a, 75 b, at Itfih, 56 a. at Ushmunain, 78b, 79b; (atKus), 81 b. at Jalfah, 74 a. 76 a, 77 a. altar of, in church at in Monastery of near Uswan, 101 b. Saft Maidum, 64 b. Kalamun, 7 1 b. Churches of, near at b. Church of, Abtujah, atAl-Kantarah,52a. Usyut ?, 90 - 73 b. at Kfifadah, 73 b. Church of, at Wana near 'Adawiyah at Kulam, nob. Busir, 18 a, 69 a. (Al-Martuti), 44 a, 46 a, at Al-Khusus, 89 a. at Wasim, 60 b. 48 a. Churches of, at Kift, in West Africa, near Afiah az-Zai- 103 a. 108 a. tun, 72 b. Church of, in Monas- in quarter of Zu- at Akfahs, 91a. tery of Al-Kusair, 50 b. vailah, in Cairo, 2 a, 3 a, c at Anzar wa-A jab, Church of, at Luzari- 45 a. 107 b. kun?, 108 a. Festival of Nativity of, at Armant, 102 b. at Madinat al- 64 a. Churches of, at Ash- Fayyum, 71a. of Death of, 76 a. rubah, 75 a; at Athlidim, at Mallawi, 74 b. Monastery of, 32 b. 92 a. on Mount of the at Huhvan (Mon. Church of, at Al-Bah- Palm, 75 b. of Abu Karkar), 53 a. nasa, 75 a. at Al-Muharrakah at Sailah, 73 a. in in Island of Bakik, (first church Upper near Usyut (Monas- 104 b. Egypt, consecrated by tery ofAbii'l-Harith), 90a. at Al-Barnil, 56 a. Jesus Christ with his near Usyut (Mo- in Monastery of Apostles), 78 a & b. nastery of Azilun), 90 a. Abu Basandah, near Kus, at Munyah Bani near Usyut (Mo- 81 b. Khasib, 78 a, 88 b. nastery of Farkiinah), 89 a. ruined, at Busir at Munyat al- in Wadi Habib Bana, 17 b, 69 a. Ka id, 69 a. (Monastery of Mary of at Busir Kuridus, in Monastery of Baramus), 53 b. 92 b. Nahya, 64 a. mosaic of, 50 b. atDamanhur,45b. in Nubia, 101 a. paintings of, 67 b, at Darwah, 77 b. in quarter of Ro- 85 a. at Fahsur, nob. mans, in Cairo, 6 a. painting of, in near Fanu and at Saft Abu Jirja, Church of St. Victor at Nakalifah, 73 a. 74 a. Jizah, 59 a. near Church of St. at Sanabu, 77 b. painting of, in George Al-Hamra, 25 b, at Saul, 56 a. Church of St. Anthony in 26 a & b. at Shinara, 91b. Mon. of Nahya, 63 b. near Huhvan (ruin- at Shubra, 30 a. sanctuary named after, ed), 54 a. Churches of, at Taha in Church of St. Poemen, at Ibrim, 96 a. al-Madinah, 74 a. 39 a. 3 68 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Mary and Martha, Saints, Mennas, Saint, Church of, Mercurius, Saint, Church of, Church of, in Monastery near Usyut? 90b. at Wana Busir, 18 a, 69 a. of Nahya, 62 b, 64 a. attached to Monastery of, at Festival of, 63 b, Church of St. Victor, Jizah, 60 a. 64 a. 41 b. near Tura (Dair tomb of, in Mo- Abu Mina, see Mennas. al-Fakhkhar), 47 b. nastery of Nahya, 63 a. Anba Mina, see Mennas, Michael, bishop of Bastah ' Mary the Egyptian, wife of sixty-first Patriarch. and Al-Khandak, 5 a, Mahomet,' 29 a. Mercurius, Saint, 55 a. 45 b. house of, 86 b. Church of, at Al- Metropolitan ofDamietta, Ibn Mashkur, 48 b. 'Adawiyah, 45 b. 14 a. Maslamah ben Mukhallad near Aflah az-Zai- nephew of Patriarch al-Ansaii, 23 b. tun, 72 b. Zacharias, 47 b. Matthew of Askit, 87 a. at Ashrubah, 75a. forty-sixth Patriarch of Saint, bishop of Isna, Churches of, at Al- Alexandria, 19 a, 60 a, 102 a. Bahnasa, 73 b, 75 a. 76 b, 82 b, 83 a, 96 b. the Monk, miracle at Bardanuhah, fifty-sixth Patriarch of performed by, 79 b. 74 a. Alexandria, 44 a. Church of, at Isna, in Al-Hamra, 30 a. sixty-eighth Patriarch of 102 a. in Al-Hamra, once Alexandria, 38 a, 80 a. Monastery of, at on bank of Nile (Abu Patriarch ofAntioch, 12 b. Ansina, 79 b, 87 a. 's-Saifain), 34 b, 35 a. the Archangel, altar of, Matthias, see Matthew. at Idfak, 74 b. 45 a. Maximus, Churches of, at at Ishnin, 91a. Church of, the Patri- ' Shinara, 91b. at Itfih, 56 a. archal Cell,' 37 b, 38 a. and Domitius, Saints, 5 3b. at Kalandimun, at Abtujah, 73 b. Mennas, sixty-first Patriarch 92 a. in Abyssinia, 105 b. of Alexandria, 66 b. at Kamulah, 104a. at Akfahs, 91a. Saint, 29 b. atAl-Khusus, 89 a. at Ashrubah, 75 a. Church of, at Kus, 8 1 b. at Kufadah, 73 b. at Athlidim, 92 a. in Monastery of near Kus, 81 b. at Al-Bahnasa, 75 a. the Brothers, 73 a. at Madinat al-Fay- atBardanuhah, 74 a. in Island of Ele- yum, 71a. near Fanu and phantine, 101 b. at Mallawi, 74 b. Nakalifah, 73 a. in Al-Hamra, Churches of, at Mun- in Monastery of 29bff., 32 b, 34 a. yah, 78 a. Ibkah, 1 01 a. attached to Church Church of, at Sakiyah at Ishnin, 91a. of St. Onuphrius in Al- Mahfuz, 74 b. at Jizah, 60 a & b. Hamra, 33 b. at Taha al-Madi- at Al-Kalandimun, at Itfih (Church nah, 74 a. 92 a. of the Pillar), 56 a. in monastery of at Kamulah, 104 a. at Itfih, 56 b. Tamwaih, 67 a. at Kufadah, 73 b. at Taha, 77 b. at Tansa, 69 b. at Kus, 8 1 b. above Church of at Ushmunain, at Madinat al- St. George at Tura, 48 b. 104 a. Fayyum, 71a. IXDEX III. 6 9

the son Michael, Archangel, of Ham) 48 b, 54 a, Mukattam, son of Mizraim, Churches of, at Mallawi, 68 a, 69 b, 76 b, 78 a, 48 b. at 86 74 b; Al-Maraghat, b, 92 b, 102 b, 103 a. Mukaukis, see George, son 92 b. Moses, the Prophet, 19 b, of Mennas. at 20 a. Church of, Munyah b, 67 Mukhallad al-Ansari, 41 a. Ban! Khasib, 78 a, 88 b. born at Askar, 19 b. Musa, 107 b. in Monastery of at Shahran, 47 a. Al-Musharif, called Az-Zak- Naklun, 71a. in Nubia, 100 a. ruk, 73 a. near frontier of Church of, near Hul- Al-Mustadi bi-amri 'llah, 100 b. a. Nubia, wan, 53 Caliph, 7 a, 38 a, 96 a. in Island of Philae, church where he slew Mustafa '1-Mulk Abu Saff b. at 104 Egyptian Memphis, Ya'kub ibn Jirjis, 66 b. at Saft 68 b. Abu Jirja, Al-Mustansir, Caliph, 9 a, a. in 74 family of, Abys- 24a&b, 33 a, 41 b, 42 a, at Saft 106 a. al-Muhall- sinia, 51 a, 65 b, 90 b. abi, 74 b. Monastery of, near Al-Mu'tamid, Caliph, 28 b. at b. Shinara, 91b. Hulwan, 53 Al-Mu'tasim, History of, nearTamwaih, 67 b. Mosque of, formerly reference to, 17 b. at Al-Ushmunain, Church, 53 b. Al-Mutawakkil, Caliph, 52 a. 104 a. water-wheel of, 92 a. at Uswan, 102 a. nephew of St. Joseph, Nabish, son of Ishmael, 57 b. Churches of, near Al- 78 b. Abu Nadil, martyr, Church Ushmunain, 90 b. Moses, Saint, body of, in of, at Jabal Ashtar, 77 b. Church of, at Wana Church of Dair Bani Abu Nafar, see Onuphiius. a. a. Busir, 69 Musa, 81 Nahadah, Saint, Church of, Festival in of, 92 a. Church of, Dair at Tansa, 18 a, 69 b. Monastery of, at Bft Bam Musa, 81 a. Abu Naitur, son of Noah, Harukah, 104 b. 'Mother of God,' Church 19 a. near b. named see Martuti. Kanah, 103 after, Najah, son of Sarur al-Jullal, at Kus, 80 a. Ibn al-Mudabbar, 57 a. 24 b. sanctuary dedicated Mufaddal ibn as-Salih, 69 a, An-Najib, brother of Ha- to, in Church of the Four cf. i7b(Fadl).' kanda ibn Kafri, 89 a. Living Creatures, 39 a. Muhammad ibn Fatik, vizier, Narun, wall of Egypt under and Cosmas, Monastery 61 b. Marwan or his successor, of, in province of Al-Mu- al-Khazin, 96 b. 60 a. kurrah, 94 b. Muharrah ibn Haidan ibn Nasir, the grave-digger, 43 b. Anba Michael, Saint, Church 'Amr ibn al-Haf ibn Ku- ad-Daulah ibn Hamdan, of, at Damamil, 102 b. da'ah, 22 a. 33 a. Miriam, sister of Moses, 19 b, Muhibb Ummihi, i.e. Pto- Abu Nasr, brother of Abu b. 20 lemy Philometor, 68 a. VUla' ibn Tank (i.e. Abu Misis, see Moses, Saint. Muhna, monk of Kalamun, Gabriel, seventieth Patri-

Misr, son of Ham, 48 b. . 72 a. arch), 38 a. Miwadd, 77 b. Al-Mu'izz li-dmi 'llah, ibn 'Alxliin, called Mizraim, 18 a, (son of Ca- Caliph, 34 b, 44 a, 61 a, Ibn al- 'Addas, metwalli naan) 23 b, (son of Misr, 66 b. and nazir, 40 a.

[If- 7-] 37 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

An-Nasr ibn Zulak, Book Philip, Saint, Apostle, body As -Safi, abbot of Saint of, 104 b. of, at Carthage, 107 a. Moses, 8 1 a. Nebuchadnezzar, King, 23b, Philotheus, Saint, 43 a. Safi ad-Daulah, 89 a (same a. Patriarch of as 76 b, 80 twenty-third following ?). Nestorius, 84 a. Alexandria, 78 b. Safi ad-Daulah ibn Abu '1- Nimrod, 19 a. bishop of Misr, 37 b. Ma'ali, called Ibn Sharafi, Noah, 23 b, 48 b. Pisentius, Saint, bishop of scribe of Saladin, 4 b, 5 b. ark of, in Abyssinia, 105 a. Kift, 81 b (Abu Basan- Safi ad-Daulah ibn Abfi Ya- rested on Mount Kar- dah). sir ibn 'Alwan, the scribe, da, in b. body of, 104 b. 38b. A Aba Nub, see Anub, Saint. Poemen, Saint, 39 a, 60 b. Sahib al-Jabal, see Lord of the monk, 47 a. the Mountain. Omar, see 'Umar. Ptolemy, Church of, at Ish- Sahib ar-Risalah, 68 b. Onuphrius, Saint, 33a, 65b, nin, 91a. 'Sahibath-ThalathatAkalil,' 91b, 98 a. Ptolemy Philometor, 68 a. title of Abu Mina, 29 b. Or, Saint,Church of, attached As-Sahri ibn Al-Hakam, to Church of Saint Onu- Abu Rakwah, see Al-Walid 34 a. phrius, 33 b. ibn Hisham-al-Khariji. Sa'id ibn Batrik, see Euty- Rameses II, statue of, 68 a. chius. Pachomius, Saint, 55b, 80a, Raphael, the Archangel, 7 3b, ibn Najah, the deacon, 86 a, 103 b. 74 a& b, 90b, 91a, 104a. 61 a. Paphnutius, Saint, 6sb,66a, Raphael, king of Nubia, 95 b. ibn Tank, see Gabriel, 67 b. Ar-Rashid Abu '1-Fadl, 89 a. seventieth Patriarch. Paul, Saint, Apostle at Lu- Rashidah ibn Jazilah ibn ad-Daulah Bahram, stew- zarikun ? near Carthage, Lakhm, 22 a. ard of the Armenians, 4 b. 108 a. Ar-Rayan, Shaikh, wall of al-Kawasi, wall of hermit, 55 a, 56 b, Misr, 84 a. Upper Egypt, 98 b. 75 b, 86 a. Ar-Rayyan ibn al-Walid ibn Munja ibn Abu Pestratelates, see Basradila- ibn Dauma' (Joseph's Zakari ibn as-Sarid,33b. dus. Pharaoh), 18 b, 70 a. Abu Sa'id, scribe of Diwan Peter, Saint, Apostle, 50 b, Romanus, father of Saint al-Mukatabat, 66 b. 59 b, 60 a, 81 b, 104 a. Victor, 59 a, 74 a, 104 a. ibn Andunah, financial bishop of the Fayyurn, Banu Riibil, 29 a, 32 b. secretary of Diwan, 27 b, 26 a, 39 a, 43 a, 45 b. Rudwan ibn Walakhshi, vi- 28 a. ibn Muhna, scribe, 38 a. zier, 9 a. ibn Abi '1-Fadl ibn Fahd, Pharaoh, 18 b, 91b. 5 b. built Al-Farama, 57 b. Sabas, Saint, Church of, ibn az-Zayyat, 5 a. drowned at Al-Kulzum, 50 b, 51 b. Gabriel ibn Buktur, call- 58 a. Abu Sa'd Mansur, vizier, ed Ibn al-A'raj, 33 b. Pharaoh's daughter lived at 33 a- Saif ad -Din Abu Bakr, A Shanah, 70 b. Abu Sadir, Monastery of, brother of Saladin, 5 a. Pharaohs, The, 59 a. near Usyut, 88^a. Saif al- Islam Tughtikin, Philemon, martyr, 91 a. Saduk, name of Utis, 57 b. brother of Saladin, 46 b. Philip, Saint, Apostle, in Safanuf, king of Nubia, 94 b. Abu 's-Saifain, see Merc urius, Africa, 107 a. As-Saffah, Caliph, 19a, 92 b. Saint. INDEX III. 371

Saladin, Sultan, 4 b, 5 a & b, Abu Shaj, body of, at Kift, Sinuthius, Saint, Monastery 6 a, 7 a, 11 a, 25 a, 31 a, i3a. of, in Nubia, 94 b. 37 a, 38a, 39a, 42b, 46b, Shaja'ah ibn Mandaghan ibn at Udrunkah, 67 b, 70 b, 96 a & b. Malik ibn Ka'b ibn al- 74 b. Salah ad-Din, see Saladin. Harith ibn Ka'b, 22 b. sixty-fifth Patriarch of Salah ibn Ruzzik, see Tala'i'. Abu Shakir, scribe, 39 b. Alexandria, 41b, 106 b. Salib ibn Mikha'il, son of Shams ad-Daulah, brother Sirbaduwil, see Baldwin. the Hegumen, 30 b, 31 a of Saladin, 96 a & b. Sinn, sister of Mary the & b. Abu Shanudah, see Sinu- Egyptian, 29 a. Abu Salimah (incorrectly for thius. Abu Sirjah, see Sergius. see 's-Sirri Umm Salimah), 28 b. Sharkis, Sergius. Abu ?, Monastery of, Samuel, Superior of Monas- Shawar as-Sa'di (Sa'idi), vi- near Usyut, 88 a. tery of Kalamun, 71b, zier, 2 5 a & b, 30 a, 31a, Abu Siyun, Church of, at 72 b. 33 b, 34 a, 36 b. Akfahs, 91a. Sandal al-Muzaffari, 60 b. when wali of Kus Solomon, king of Israel, Anba Sanhut, bishop of made vow to Church, 105 a, 112 b. Misr, 80 a. 81 b. crown of, 107 b. Sanfat al-Mulk Abu '1-Faraj Shirkuh, 37b, 76a, 82a&b. table of, 107 b. ibn 'Ilm as-Su'ada Abu Ash-Shubramurayyiki, 45 a. king of Nubia, 98 a. '1-Yaman, 34 a. Simon, Saint, Apostle, body Sophia, Saint, see Agia Sapor, king of Persia, of, 82 b. Sophia. 55 a. forty-second Patriarch of Stephen, Saint, 20 b. Saradib, built fortress of Phi- Alexandria, 53 a. Church of, near Al- lae, 100 b. bishop of Al-Bahnasa, Bahnasa, 75 a. Sa.ru', 68 a. 45 b. at Kus, 81 b. b. Sarur al-Jullal, 24 a & b, monk and bishop, 88 at Al-Kusair, 50 b. 25 b. Sinuthius, Saint, altar of, 66 a. at Sakiyah Mah- Abu Sawaris, see Severus. body of, 82 b. fuz, 74 b. Sayyid al-Ahl ibn Tumas, chest made by, 83 b. at TaM al-Madi- 45 b. body of, in Church nah, 74 a. Sergius, Saint, 3 a, 90 a, of, at Abutij, 91a. Stratelates, see Basradiladus. 91b, 92 a. Church of, at Bahu- As-Subasi, the Turk, wall Severus of Antioch, 12 a. malis, 73 b. of Cairo, 45 a. - Church of, at Kift, atKamulah, 104 a. Su'luk al-Jullal, 27 a. 103 a. at Munyah Bani Sunussah, see Sinuthius. atUdrunkah, 74b. Khasib, 88 b. Suwarr ibn Rufa'ah, wall of Monastery of, near in Monastery of Misr, 32 a. Usyut, 89 a. Ash-Shama', 66 a. Severus, Emperor, 68 b. Monastery of, on Mt. At-Tabari, History of, 1 1 1 b. Ash-Shabushti, 41a, 47 a, Andariba, near Ansina, Abu' Tabih, Saint, Monas- 49 b, 64 a, 67 a, 86 a. 87 a. tery of, near Ansina, Shaddad, son of 'Ad, 68 b. nearlkhmim (White 86 b. Shadid al-Mulk ibn al-Fakhr Monastery), 82 b. Tadrah, see Theodore. ibn Busaiwah, 25 a. at Kift; 103 a. Tadrus, see Theodore. Shahanshah, see Al-Afdal. at Kus, 80 a. Taghut, 19 a. 3 b 2 372 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Taj ad-Daulah Bahram, 6 a, Theodore, Saint, Church of, Thomas, Saint, Apostle, Fes- 84 a. at Ishnin, 91a. tival of, 109 b. ibn Sabil, called Anf at Itfih, 56 a. hand of, preserved adh-Dhahab, 41b. at Al-Kalandimun, alive, 109 b. Taj al-Muluk Buri, the Kurd, 92 a. the archdeacon, 45 b. brother of Saladin. 42 a, at Kamulah, 104 a. Timothy, the monk, Church 70 b. at Al-Kufur, 74 a. of, in the Monastery of Tajib Umm 'Adi, 22 a. at Kus, 81 b. the Vinedresser, 65 a. Taki ad-Din 'Umar ibn near Abu Mina Turfah, 33 a. Shahanshah, al-Malik al- (mosque), 32 a. Tuwah, horse of Pharaoh, Muzaffar, nephew of Sa- atSaftMaidum,64b. 91b. ladin, 5 a, 6 b, 70 b. at Saft Rashin, 75 b. Tala'i* ibn Ruzzik, al-Malik at Sakiyah Mahfuz, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ca- as-Salih, vizier, 7 a, 42 a, 74 b. liph, 21 b, 22 a, 24 a, 45 a. at Saul, 56 a. 58 b. prophecy uttered at Tamha, 60 b. Ushmun, son of Kift, son of to him by monk of Abu near Monastery Mizraim, 68 a, 76 b. Sawaris, 89 b. of the Torch, 66 b. Utis, son of Khartaba and Bu Talihah, Church of, at atUdrunkah,74b. king of Egypt, 57 a & b a. Jalfah, 74 martyrdom of, 72 b. (cf. Aftfitfs). Talma'us, see Ptolemy. Monastery of, at Aflah Tamim, Amir, brother of az-Zaitun, 72 b. Valentinian, Emperor, 53 b. Caliph Al-'Aziz, 41a. at Kamulah, 1 04 a. Victor, Saint (son of Roma- Tarik, father of Patriarch at Kift, 103 a. nus), body of, 90 a. Gabriel, 37 b. near Ushmunain ?, Church of, oppo- Ibn Tarkhan, 18 b, 69 b. 90 b. site church of same name, Tarnimah, martyr, body of, altar of, at Saft Mai- 42 a. 90 a. dum, 64 b. in Ard Habash, Church of, at Tun- forty-fifth Patriarch, 70a. 41b. budha, 90 a. Thomas, Saint, Apostle, at Jalfah, 74 a. Monastery of, at Tun- altar of, 43 b. at Jizah, 59 a. budha, 90 a. annual miracle at Al-Kalan- Theodore, Saint, 30 a, 39 a. performed by his relics, dimun, 92 a. body of, in Monas- 109 b, no a. at Kamulah, tery at Usyut, 88 a. body of, 107 a, 104 a. Church of, at Akfahs, 109 b ff. at Al-Khusus, 91a. Church of, at Ash- 90 a. at Ansina, 87 a. rubah, 75 b. at Sakiyah at Ashrubah, 75 b. in India, 107 a, Musa, 92 a. at Bahnasa, 75 a. 109 a ff. at Udrunkah, at Island of Bakik, in Monastery 74 b. 104 b. of Al-Kusair, 51 a. Monastery of, at atBardanuhah,74a. at Saft Abu Kift, 103 a. at Bulak, 60 b. Jirja, 74 a. Virgin, The Blessed, see at Damanhur, 30 a. atUdrunkah,74b. Mary. INDEX III. 373

Abu '1-WafS ibn Abi '1-Ba- Abi '1-Yaman ibn Zanbur, Yflnus, seventy-second Pa- shar, priest, 5 a. 5 b. triarch, see John. Wa'il, 42 a. Abu '1-Yaman Kuzman ibn Yustiyanus, see Justinian. Al-Walid ibn Hisham al- Mina, scribe, 35 b. Yusuf, see Joseph. Khariji, 94 b, 95 b. Siirus ibn Makrawah ibn Ayyub al-Malik an- ibn Mus'ab, Pharaoh in ibn Zanbur, 33 a. Nasir, see Saladin. time of Moses, 23 a, 53 a, al-Bazzaz, 60 b. 70 a. Al-Yasal, brother of Taj Zacharias, king of Nubia, ibn Rufa'ah,\valiofMisr, ad-Daulah Bahram, 4 a, 94 b, 97 b. 29 b. 50 a. sixty-fourth Patriarch of ibn Zuwa'ah, 26 b. Banu Yashkur, 32 b. Alexandria, 43 b, 47 b, Wardan ar-Rumi, 22 b. Yashkur ibn Jazilah ibn 106 b. Lakhm (street of), 32 b. Az-Zafir, son of Caliph Al- Ya'fur, ass of Mahomet, Yashkur ibn 'Udwan ibn Hafiz, 46 b. 29 a. Lakhm, 32 b. Abu Zakari, Shaikh, 71a. Yahya ibn al-'Ubaidi, scribe, Yasib, Saint, Church of, ibn Bu Nasr, adminis- 39t>. near Ansina, 87 a. trator of Ushmunain, 79 a. Ya'kub ibn Yusuf(ibn Killis), tomb of, 87 a. as-Sairafi, 30 b. 23 a. Abu Yasir ibn Abu Sa'd ibn Ibn Zanbur, 34 a. Abu '1-Yaman Wazir, metal-Kustal, priest and here- Zawin the Mu'allim, 39 a. walli of Diwan Asfal al- tic, 44 b, 45 a, 46 a, 48 a Az-Zubair ibn al-'Awvvam, Ard, 44 b, 45 b, 67 a &b. 21 b. &b. Yuhanna, see John. Ibn Zulak, see An-Nasr ibn ibn Abu '1-Faraj ibn Yuhannus, see John. Zulak. 374 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

IV. INDEX OF GENERAL NAMES.

Abramis (fish), 20 a. Apple-trees, 54 b. Balsam, 20 a. AbiMr (birds), 19 b, 86 b. Apse, 5 a, 24 b, 31 a, 41b, Baptism, Festival of the, see Afikhalis, (wedge) of iron 46 a, 59 a. Epiphany. used as money in Abys- Aqueduct, 52 b. Baring of the head during sinia, 106 a. Archdeacon, 45 b. liturgy, 46 a. Alchemy, invented by Her- Arches, 2 a, 31 a, 33 b, 37 a. Bell, see Gong. mes, 52 a, 64 b. Archimandrite, 82 b. Biographies of Patriarchs, Alms, 34 b, 36 a, 59 a, 89 b. Architects, 33 b, 37 b, 51a, 19 a, 21 a, 22 a, 23 b, Aloes, 105 b. 59 b. 36 b, 60 a, 79 b, 81 a, Altar, 30 b, 36 a, 37 a & b, Architecture, 38 b, 42 b, 82 b, 96 b, 97 a, 107 b, 38 b, 39 a, 41b, 43 b, 43^. 108 a. 45 a & b, 49 a, 50 a & b, Arithmetic, invention of, Birbd, see Temples, ancient 51a, 6 1 b. 22 b. Egyptian. private, 97 b. Ark of Covenant, preserved Birds, multitude of, near built by Solomon, 112a. in Abyssinia, 105 b. Usyut, 87 b. consecrated by Jesus arkhan, 10 a, 36 a, 37 a, 45 b, Bishop of Atrib, 37 b. Christ at Al-Muharra- 61 a, 75 b. Bahnasa, 45 b. kah, 78 b. Asceticism, 65 b, 72 a & b, Bastah and Al-Khandak, wooden, 45 b. 89 b. 5 a, 45 b. Altar-board, see Tablet. A skim, 56 a. Bujaras (Nubia), 94 b. Altar-chamber, 88 a. Askind, 2 a, 27b, 30 b, 31a, Damietta, 9 a, 1 4 a, 63 b. Altar- vessels, see Vessels. 33 a, 37 a, 61 b. Damsis, 14 a. Ambon, 30 a. 'Ass of War,' surname of the Fayyum, 18 b, 26 a, Anbal, see Ambon. Caliph Marwan II, 19 a, 39 a, 43 a, 45 b, 7 a. Antiquities atMemphis,68a. 60 a, 92 b. Ibrim (Nubia), 96 b. in Nubia, 99 b. Asses, Egyptian, 20 a, 97 a. Isna, 102 a. at Luxor, 104 b, 105 a. Astronomy, invention of, Jizah, 63 b, 64 a. at Philae, 100 b, 104 b. 19 a, 22 b. al-Kais, 53 a, 54 a. Apostles, Church of, near al-Khandak, see Bishop Aflah az-Zaitun, 72 b. Bait 'ajin, see Bakehouse. of Bastah. Melkite, in Monastery Bail al-Mdl, see Treasury. Kift, 81 b. of Al-Kusair, 49 b, 50 b. Bakehouse of church, 30 b, Memphis, 66 b. b. b a. 26 paintings of, 27 a, 63 39 > 43 Misr, a, 37 b, 39 a, Apparitions of Saints, 78 b, Bakl, see Tribute of slaves. 45 a & b. 82 a, 93 a. Baldakyn, 30 b, 37 a, 51a. Misr (Melkite), 40 b. INDEX IV. 375

Bishop of Natu, 98 a, 10 1 a. Burying-places, 2 b, 25 b, Christmas, Festival of, 102 b, a b. b b. 106 a. Oases, 93 & 43 b, 44 a, 49 , 63 Tamwaih, 5 a, 44 b, 66 b. Bustuldt, see Apostles, paint- Church held in common by Tunbudha, 31 a. ings of. three sects at Saft Mai- Bishops, burying-place of, dum, 64 b. 43 b, 63 b. Camphor, nob. built in thanksgiving for first appointed in Egypt, Candles burnt at Christmas, return of son of king of 23 b. 102 b. Nubia, 98 a. ordained by St. Thomas 'Canon of the Festivals,' washed away at Munyat in India, 109 a. 64 a. al-Ka'id, 69 a. Bits, manufactured at Dalas, Canopy, 24 b, 106 a. Melkite, near Pottery at 91b. Cap of Melkite priest, 13 b. Misr, 2 b. Black garments worn by Carbuncles, in a. sold to Jews, 44 a. Christians, 47 b, 52 a. Cassia, 105 b. in street of Istabl al-Fil 'Book of Monasteries/ by Cathedra, see Chair. (turned into mosque), 6 b. Ash-Shabushtf, 41a, 47 a, Cave of Saint Arsenius at 'of the Water' at Ansina, 49 b, 64 a, 67 a, 86 a. Monastery of Al-Kusair, 87 a. Books, ecclesiastical, of Ar- 51b. Churches of Abyssinia, menians, 2 b. Cavern church forming sup- 105 b._ in written by Mark ibn ported by pillars, opposite one every town of al-Kanbar, 17 a. Shahran in Monastery of Abyssinia, 106 a. Boundaries of Egypt, 21a. Al-Kusair, 47 a, 51 a. 6 at Akfahs, 91 a. Bran, instrument for peeling, Caves, 51b, 52 a. 400 in 'Alwah, 95 a. 63 a. Celebrated men who have ruined at Al-Arish, 56 b. Breaking of dam of canal, visited Egypt, 19 b, 20 b, 24 at Daljah, 91b. 24 a. 21 a. at Darmus in Nubia, 99 a. Bricks, church built of, Cell of Armenian Patriarch, at Fahsur, nob. 77 b. 3 b. 70 in Ikhmim, 86 a. of Al-'Irak, 95 b. Coptic Patriarch at 12 at Ishnin, 91 a. Bridegroom allowed by Ibn Church of Al-Mu'allakah, 1 2 in Monastery of Ka- Kustal to see bride before 1 1 1 b at 9 b, b, 3 ; Church lamun, 71b. marriage, 46 a. of Michael, 37 b. 9 atAl-Kalandimun,92a. Bridge (iskalah) made in Censers, 3 b, 4 4 b, 6 7 b, 105 b. 25 at Al-Khusus, 88 b. ancient times for Nile, Chair, episcopal, 30 a. 10 (Melkite) in Dair 102 a. Chest inlaid with in a. ivory al-Kusair,' 50 Bridges, 24 a, 41 a, 53 a. Church of White Monas- 8 (Melkite) in Dair Brocades, 19 b, 24 b, 91 b. tery, 83 b. al-Kusair, 49 b. Bultt, fish, 72 a. Chests containing relics of hewn in rock at Dair Burning of Fustat Misr (by martyrs, 82 b, 91a, 93 a, al-Kusair, 49 a. order of Shawar), 25 a, 109 b. at Luzanku, 1 08 a. 80 a. 27 a, 33 b, 34 a, 36 b, Chrism, consecration of, 6 6 b. 3 in district of Mir, 38 a. Christians, 12,000 in district 1 4 at Munyah Bani Kha- monastery by Melkites, of Daljah, 92 a. sib, 78 a. 63 b. sole inhabitants of Taha, 24 at Shinara, 92 b. Burtulah, see Cap. 77 a. 7 at Shinara, 91 b. 37$ CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Churches, 360 atTaha, 77a. Consecration of churches, Dalldl al-A'ydd, see Guide 60 at Usyut, 89 a. form of, given by Jesus to the Festivals. 366 at Wasim, 60 b. Christ and the Apostles, Ddmin of Kalyub, 12 b. turned into mosques, 2 b, 78 b, 79 a. Misr, 39 a. 6 b, 32 a, 41a, 46 a, 53 b, water used at, 78 b, Death of the Blessed Virgin, 75b, 76a, 77b. 98 a, 102 b. Festival of the, 76 a. Circumcision condemned Consecration-crosses on pil- Decorations of the church at by Ibn al-Kanbar, 9 b, lars, 59 b. Sana, nob, in a. 15 a. Conversion of India to Chris- of house, 98 b. Ibn Kustal, 46 a. tianity, 109 a. Dedication Festival, 38 b. Cistern, 51 b, 61 a, 89 a; of a Jew to Christianity, Destruction of churches, 2 3b, ' called the Pure,' 92 b. 44 b. 27a&b, 31a, 36 b, 57 a, Clay called Tin al-Hikmah, of Christians to Islam, 59 a, 61 a, 69 a, 104 a. 20 a, 101 b. 39 b, 40 b, 47 a & b. Devils, appearance of, 65 b, of Uswan, 20 a. Cooks, royal, at Shutb, 72 a. yellow, 41b; quarries of, 87 b. possession by, 83 b, 87 a. 46 b. Corn sent from Egypt to Disciples, Churches of, 56 a, Coinage of Saladin, 25 a. Mecca by 'Arar ibn al- 74 b, 75 a, 90 b. Collyrium, miraculous, 75 b. 'Asi, 58 b. Dhvdn Asfal al-Ard, 44 b, Commentaries on ecclesias- Coronation of king of Abys- 67 a. tical books, composed by sinia, 105 b. al-Khdss, 42 b. Ibn al-Kanbar, 9 a, 14 b. Cotton, 96 b. al-Majlis, 33 b. Common land in the Fay- Courtyard of church, 28 a, al-Mukdtabdt, 66 b. yum, 18 b, 69 b. 30 a, 38 a. as- Said, 40 a. Communion,annual,miracu- Cross, Church of the, at ash-Shdmi, 40 a. louslygiven bySt.Thomas, Ashrubah, 75 a. as-Sultdn.il 34 a. 1 10 a. Festival of the, 53 b, 73 a, at-Tahkik, 51a. of chalice, 12 a. 106 a. 'Dome of the Air/ 52 a. early, in Lent, allowed by Monastery of the, in Domes, 2 a, 27 b, 30 b, Ibn al-Kanbar, 12 a. Fanu, 73 a. 37 a & b, 42 a, 44 a, 45 a, Confession over incense, in cemetery, 43 b. 48 a, 50 a & b, 5 1 a, 60 b, 9 a. on dome, 96 a. 65 b, 96 a & b, 101 a. in Abyssinia, 105 b. Crosses on pillars, 59 b. Domes in houses, 95 b. to priest enjoined by Ibn on Jabal at-Tair, 76 a. Dromedaries turned into al-Kanbar, 9 a & b, 15 a. processional, 3 b, 67 b. stone, 76 b. Concessionary, 50 a, 61 b. Crown, Abyssinian, 105 b. Duwairah, 27 b, 48 a. Conquest of Egypt by Ma- of king of Nubia, 99 b. hometans, 80 b. worn by Nimrod, 19 a. Easter, 53 b, 106 a. Book of, 18 b, 29 a, 'Crowns, Possessor of the Ebony inlaid with ivory, 99 b, 70 a, 91 b. Three,' 29 b. in a. Consecration of churches, Crypt, 2 b, 24 b, 63 a & b. Elephantiasis, 52 b. 5 a, 25b, 28 b, 30b, 31a Cultivated land in Egypt, Embroideries, 91b. &t>, 36a, 37b, 38a, 39a, extent of, 23 a. Emerald-mines, 20 a, 81 a. a a. road from a. 43 > 45 b, 48 a, 71 to, Kift, 103 in Abyssinia, 106 b. Dabiki, 19 b, 24 b. Emery, where found, 95 a. INDEX IV. 377

Endowments of church, 2 a, church, according to Ibn Hair, growth of, allowed by a. Ibn a. 7 a, 18 b, 29 b, 31 b, 50a, al-Kanbar, 9 b, 15 Kustal, 46 54 b, 62 a, 66 a, 67 b, Fukkd', 20 a. Hand of our Lord, mark of, 70 a, 71 b, 91 b. Futiih Misr, see Conquest of 76 a, 79 a. Epiphany, 41 a, 53 b, 106 a. Egypt, Book of. Hanif, see Hunafa. Episcopal Church of Misr, Hegumen, 30 b, 34 a. 2 26 37 b. Gardens, a, a, 30 a, 34 a, Heresy, 9 a ff., 46 a, 55 b, Exchange in kind among 39 b, 4oa&b, 41a, 42 b, 56 a. Nubians, 95 a. 43a, 44b, 46b, 47b, 48b, Hermitage, 49 b. Excommunication of Ibn 54b, 56a, 59b, 60b, 61 a, Hermitages at Al-Karafah, Kanbar, 9 a, 1 1 a. 66a, 67a, 71b, 88 a, 89b, 42 a. Ibn Kustal, 46 a. 90 a, 102 a, 103 b, 104 b. Hieroglyphics, 33 a. ' Expenses of churches, 35 b. Garlands placed on idols, History of the Church,' 23 b.

b a - 108 b. of the 43 , 44 b, 53 'History Councils,' Extreme Unction, 12 a. Giants, 19 a, 79 a & b, 102 a, 65 a. 103 a & b. History by Mahbub ibnKus- Fadd'il Misr, Book of, 26 b, Gifts from the Mukaukis to tantin al-Manbaji, 22 b, 28 b. Mahomet, 29 a. 55 a, 112 a. Famine in Egypt, 8 1 a. Glass, nob. Homily of Patriarch Philo- Al-Farrdshatn, see Cham- invented by Hermes, 5 2 a. theus, 78 b. berlains. pavilion at Hulwan, see Honey-wine, 20 a. Fast curtailed by Ibn al- Pavilion. Horses, 20 a, 52 a. Kanbar, 15 b. Glass mosaic, 50 b, 104 b, Nubian, 97 a. Fast of Nineveh, 15 b. nob. House of Solomon, king of Feminine quality of the Holy Gold-mines, 20a, 81 a, 94 b, Nubia, at Cairo, 98 b. Spirit, 16 a. 100 b, 101 b. Abil Hid, see Granite statue Fire-worship in India, 108 b. Gold-plated doors, nob. and Sphinx. Fish caught in the Nile, Gong (nakus), 72 a, 97 b. Hunafa, 9 b, 15 a, 77 a, 80 b. 17 a. Gospel of John, oath taken 'Fisherman of Ansina,' the, upon, 10 a. Idol, ancient Egyptian, 99 b. 87a. Gospels quoted, 20 a & b. Idolatry, 19 a. Fishing, 62 a. Granite, 43 b. in India, 108 b, 109 a. Fishing-pool, 64 b. columns, 63 b. Idols, ancient Egyptian, at Flight (of Christ) into Egypt, statue [of Rameses II] Luxor, 104 b, 105 a. 20 b, 44 a, 75 b. at Memphis, 68 a. in island of Philae, Forty Days, Fast of the, see 'Guide totheFestivals,'com- 104 b. Lent, posed by John, bishop of in North Africa, 108 b. Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, Damietta, 33b, 63b, 64a. Illuminated MS. of Gospels, 12 a, 51 a, 87 a. 2 b. Four Living Creatures, Haikal, 37 b, 38 b, 48 b. Incense, ingredients of, in Church of, near Uswan, Melkite in Coptic Church Abyssinia, 105 b. 104 a. ofSt.Mennas atltfih, 56b. use of, enjoined by Saint at Misr, 38 b. Al-Hail, see Sphinx. Thomas theApostle, 1 09 a. Frankincense,9 b, 1 5 a, 105 b. Hair, growth of, allowed by confession over, 9 a, alone to be burnt in Ibn al-Kanbar, 9 b, 15 a. 105 b.

3 c [II. 7.] 378 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

of Testament see of Madhbah Inspiration Old 91 b; Conquest ' sanctuary, 37 b, said to be denied by Ibn Egypt. 61 b. al-Kanbar, 1 6 a. Koran quoted, 64 b. Magic, 17b, 19a, 22 b, 69 a, Iron-plated door, 61 b, 72 b, Ktik, birds, 100 a. 71 b, 92 b. 81 a. Ktwimus, see Hegumen. Mahometans in Abyssinia, Iron used as money in Kyrie eleison, 35 a. 106 a & b. Abyssinia, 106 a. allowed to attend Chris- Ishdlah, see Bridge. Ladanum, 105 b. tian services, 39 b. see Staircase. Ladders, rope, 89 a. conquest of Egypt, 80 b. Ivory inlay, 83b, 99 b, 11 1 a. Lamp, oil of, 85 b, 87 a, favour of, towards Copts, 108 a & b. 35 a, 35 b. Jacobites, 47 b, 48 a, 54 b, Lamps, phantom, 94 b. friendliness of, towards 95 b. Land given to church by Christians at Esneh, 132a. Jausak, see Tower. Caliphs, 7 a, 62 a, 88 a. Majlis, 41a. i Jurisdiction of Coptic Patri- common, in the Fayyum, Al-Majmu fi ma ilaihi arch over a 18 b. Nubia, 99 ; b, 69 'l-marju',' composed by Abyssinia, 105 a. price of, at Memphis, Ibn al-Kanbar, 17 a. Juyiishiyah, 26 a, 54 a. 68 b. Manzarah, 24 a, 31 b, 37 b, Lands, church, 7 a, 50 a, 40a, 42b, 46b, 48a, 49b, Kaisdriyah, 77 b. 54 b, 62 a, 67 b, 71 b, 51b, 61 b, 64 a, 66 a. Kaisdriyat al-Jamdl, 34 b. 88 a, 91 b, 103 b. called As-Saliikiyah, 44 b. Kanbaiites, 52 a. Landscape, beauties of, 2 a, called As-Sukkarah, 24 a. Kdnun al-A'ydd, see Canon 26a, 31a, 39b, 41a, 46b, Marble, 56 b, 57 a. of the Festivals. 47a, 49b, 64 b, 67 a, 87b. pillars, 30 a, 37 a, 61 b, Karaites, 67 a. Lectionary, Coptic, 1 4 b. 77a, nob. Katdtrd, see Chair. Lent, 1 2 a, 29 b, 40 b, 5 1 b, quarries, 57 a. Kdtib ar-Rawdlib, 33 b. 66 a. Marcasite, 20 a, 112a. Keep, see Tower. Lenten charge, 40 b. Martyrdom of 63 monks, Khazaf, pots so called, 41b, Letters from Abyssinia or 90 b. 46 b. Nubia to Cairo, 106 b. Martyrs slain near Uswan, Al-Khitat bi-Misr, Book of, Liturgies introduced into 104 a. by Al-Kindi, 32 a & b, India by St. Thomas, Forty, of Sebaste, 51a. 34 b, 107 b. 109 a. [of Sebaste], 87 a. Kiblah, 39 b, 46 a. Liturgy performed by kings Mastic, 105 b. Kings of Nubia, 94 b, 95 b, of Nubia and Abyssinia, Melkite altar in church at 97 a & b, 98 a & b. 99 a, 105 b. Saft Maidum, 64 b. thirteen inferior, 99 a. on Ark of Covenant, bishop of Misr, 40 b. are priests, 99 a. 106 a. burying-places, 44 a, 49 b. Abu Kir, birds, 86 b. privately performed, 97 b. churches, 28 a. Kisas see His- Lives of in of Al- al-Majdmi '', Coptic Patriarchs, Monastery tory of the Councils. see Biographies. Kusair, 49 b. Kitdb ad-Diydrdt, see Book Loggia, see Manzarah. church in Madinat al- of Monasteries. 'Lord of the Mountain,' 94 b, Fayyum, 7 1 a. Kitdb Fadail Misr, 57 a. 96 a. Monastery of Al-Kusair, Futuh Misr, 18 b, 70 a, Lotus-tree, 27 a, 60 b. 49 b. INDEX IV. 379

Melkite nuns, 40 a. destroyed by Berbers, Nestorian monastery, 42 b, Patriarch, 1 3 a & b, 2 1 a, 65 a. 46 a. 49 b. Monastery on fourth cata- Nestorians, 42 b, 43 a, 44 a, sanctuary in a Coptic ract, 1 00 a. 46 a, 1 10 b. church, 56 b. ofAl-Kusair, 13 b. Nilometer at Ansina, 70 b. Melkites, 2 b, 9 b, 12 a & b, of Nestorians, 42 b. at Hulwan, 52 b, 70 b. 13 a, 15 b, 28 a, 40 a&b, Monastic girdle, 56 a. at Ikhmim, 70 b. 49 b. habit, 55 a, 56 a. at Kift, 103 a. 28 b. weakness of, a, 40 Monks martyred, 90 b. at Memphis, 18 a, 68 a, Metropolitan of Abyssinia, burying-place of, 63 b. 69 b, 70 b. b. 105 a& b, 106 famous for ascetic life, Nilometers, 18 a, 33 b. of Damietta, 14 a. 65 b, 72 a&b, 89 b. first made by Joseph, 70 b. (Melkite) of Sanbat, Monument in cemetery, Nunnery, 30 b, 84 a ff. 13 a & b. 43 b. at Kift, 103 a. Metropolitans of Melkites, Mosaics, 50b, 104a, nob. Nuns, Melkite, 40 a. 13 a. Mosque, formerly church, Metwalli, 67 a. 6 b. Oath at communion, lib. ofDiwan ash-Shami, 40 a. of Al-Kurun, 32 b, 34 a. Ochre, 20 a. of Diwan at-Tahkik, of 'Amr, rebuilt by 'Abd Odalisque ofAl-Kasim, mira- 51a. al-'Aziz, son of Caliph culous death of, 83 a & b. Mill, 4 8b,5ib,63a,88a&b, Marwan I, 52 b. Offerings to church, 56 b. 89 b. of Ad-Dubb at Itfih, Oil of church lamps, 85 b, Persian, 63 a. 54 a. 87 a, 108 a & b. Minarets, 32 a, 41 a, 42 a. of Al-Khaluk, 32 b. for the consecration of Miracles, 35 a, 59 a, 65 a, of Moses, 53 b. churches (chrism), 63 b. 71b, 72 b, 75 b, 76 a, Mosques, 3 2 a, 4 r a, 4 2 a & b, presses, 67b, 88 a&b, 89b. 77 a, 78 b, 79 a & b, 46a, 52b, 75b, 76a, 77b, Olive-tree, miraculous, 107b. 86b, 87a, 98a, 102 a & b, 86 b, 100 b. Opium, 20 a. ' 109 a ft, 112 b. Mother of God,' 44 b. Orange-trees, 48 a. by "intercession of Saint Mu'allim, i.e. Confessor, 9b. at Church of Al-Martuti, Mubdh, see Common land. Painters, Coptic, 5 a. 45 b. Mules, 20 a. Painting of George, king of Miraculous proof of Chris- Music, 98 b. Nubia, 99 a & b. tian religion in time of Myrtles, 40 b. of governor of Darmus, Caliph Al-'Aziz, 35 a. 99 a. of see punishment Al-Kasim, Nakus, Gong. Paintings, Coptic, 5 a, 38 b, 83 a & b, 84 a. Naphtha springs, 101 b. 41 a&b, 44a, 45b, 49a, in Mirage province of Al- Nasdfi (stuff), 24 b. 51a, 59a, 63b, 67b, 82b, Maris, 94 a. Nativiiy, Church of the, in 85 a, 105 b. Mizr, drink called, 95 b. Al-Hamra, 27 a, 30 a. Palace of Emerald, 2 b. Monasteries at 'Alwah, 95 b. Feast of the, 102 b. Palm-tree, miraculous, at Book of, by Ash-Sha- Negus of Abyssinia, 106 a, Bashawah, 104 b. bushti, see Book. nob, nib. Palm Sunday, see Sunday in the 35 Fayyum, 70 a. Nestorian burying- places. of Olives. 50 in Lahf a. 20 a. al-Jabal, 44 U2 Paper, 3 8o CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Paten, 67 b. Plans of Cairo and its gates Relics, stand for, 30 a, 88 a. Patriarch ofAlexandria.Cop- made by John the monk, Remains, ancient, at Mem- 68 a. tic, jurisdiction of, over 51a. phis, Rent monasteries Abyssinia, 97 a, 105 a. Polygamy in Abyssinia, paid by into the Coptic, jurisdiction of, 106 b. public treasury, Patriarch a. over Nubia, 97 a, 99 a. forbidden by 67 b, 70 of wife Ibn Coptic, letters of, to Sinuthius, 106 b. Repudiation by kings of Abyssinia and Pomegranates, 40 b, 54 b, al-Kanbar, 14 a. Nubia, 106 b. 89 b. Reservation of Eucharist by Ibn a. Coptic, sends metro- Population of Egypt, 22 a, al-Kanbar, 15 86 a. politans to Abyssinia, 105a. 26 b. Reservoir, Melkite, 13a (time of Pound-weight, value of, at Restoration of churches, 2 a Ibn al-Kanbar), 21b. Shutb, 87 b. ib, a, 4 b, 25 & b, a Patriarch, Armenian, 2 a&b, Prayers for dead, 34 b, 62 b. 27 b, 29 b, 31 & b, Presses for 20 a. b 3 a&b, 5a, 47b. sugar-canes, 33 > 34 b, 35 a, 36 b, Patriarchal cell, 37 b. Procession with tapers and 37 a&b, 38a, 39a, 40a, church, 33 b, 37 b. incense, 3 b. 59a, 60b, 62a, 66a, 73a, residence at Monastery of Palm Sunday, 28 a. 75 b, 82 b, 87 a, 89 a. of the Torch, 66 b. in honour of St. George, Revenue of Egypt, 7 b, 8 a Patriarchs, Coptic, biogra- 93 a. & b, 9 a, 19 a. with under the phies of, see Biographies. Ark of Covenant, Joseph Pavilion, 41a. 106 a. Patriarch, 23 a. Pavilion, see Manzarah. Property of churches and in time of Moses, Pavilion of glass at Hulwan, monasteries, see Endow- 23 a. 52 b. ments and Gardens. under Romans, 23 a. Hera- Pear-trees, 54 b. Prophets quoted, 20 a & b. under Emperor a. Penance, 4 a, 9 b, 15 a, 16 b. Purple first worn by Nimrod, clius, 23 Pentateuch, account ofFlood 19 b. under 'Amr ibn al- 21 22 a. in, in b. 'Asi, b, a, 23 Pentecost, 61 a. Rabbanites, 67 a. under Abbasides, 23a. Al- Persecution, 43 b. Radish-oil, 20 a. under Caliph by Al-Hakim, 47 b. Raihdniyah, 54 a. Mahdi ibn al-Mansur, Pigs kept in Nubia, 96 b. Rain caused by moving 23 b. stones at b. under Ahmad ibn Pilgrimages, 53 b, 79 a, 94 a, Al-Barmak, 17 111a. Ravens fed by Simon the Tulun, 23 a. under Ya'kub ibn Pillage of churches, 27 a, monk, 88 b. 28a, 36b, 49b, 50a, 59b, Reception held by Melkite Yusuf ibn Killis, 23 a. 102 a. Patriarch, 13 a. under Kaffir al-Us- monasteries, 84 b, 102 a. Relics, 60 b, 63 a & b, 65 b, tadh, 23 a. of Pillar, moving, 17 a. 66 a, 69 a, 72 b, 75 b, Revenue Al-Fayyum, 69 b, b. Pillars, 30 a, 37 a, 41a, 82 b, 86b, 87a, 90 a&b, 70 of monasteries in the 42 a, 56 b, 59 b, 61 b, 91 a, 92a, 93a& b, 101b, 18 a. 63 b, 71a, nob. 104b, 107 a, 109 b, 1 10 a. Fayyum, b, 70 of church in 'transpiring,' 71a, 77a, Relics, oath taken upon, Egypt, 7 a, 81 a. 1 o a & b. 53 b, 64 a. INDEX IV. 3i

Revenue of Ramlah, Tibe- Shaw, see Apse. Succession from uncle to rias, and Damascus, 70 a. Sheep sacrificed on Festival nephew in Nubia, 99 a. Rock-hewn churches at of St. Michael, 92 a. Sugar-boiling, 20 a. Kalamun, 72 b. at consecration of Summer residence of Patri- near Usyut, 89 a. church, 107 a. archs, 38 a. Roof of wood, 27 b, 37 a, Shrine of St. Thomas the Sun, miracle connected with, 39 a, 59 K 63 b. Apostle, 109 b. in time of Joshua, 103 b. Rose-leaves, dried, used in Siege of Egyptian Babylon worship of the, in India, incense, 105 b. by Muslims, 2 1 a & b, 2 2 a. 108 b. Roses offered to idols, 1 08 b. Sign of cross made with two Sunday of Olives, 5 b, 28 a. Rutl, see Pound-weight. fingers by followers of Sycamore, 41 a & b, 43 b, Ibn al-Kanbar, 15 a. 61 a, 66 b, 94 a& b. Sikilli Sacrifice of animals at con- (stuff), 19 b, 24 b. Synagogue, 67 a. secration of churches in Silver-plated doors, nob, Abyssinia, 106 b, 107 a. nia. Tables of stone, the, pre- on Festival of Saint Simony, 31 a, 37 a & b. served in Abyssinia, 105 b. Michael, 92 a. condemned by Patriarch Tablet over altar, 30b, 37 a. Safe-conduct granted by Mark, 37 a. carved, 60 b. ' 'Amr to Christians, 80 b. Siniyah, see Paten. Tafsirat- Ta/sir,' composed Sanctuary, 2 a, 27 a & b, Sinlessness of B. V. Mary, by Ibn al-Kanbar, 14 b. 30b, 31a, 33a, 37a&b 16 b. Tdfus, see Crypt. (haikal), 39 a (haikal), Siyar al-Biah, see Biogra- Tailasdn, 87 b.

61 b, 99 a (haikal), 105 b phies. Talisman at Al-Luzankun ?, (haikal). Slaves sent from Nubia to 108 b. Sand, miraculous, at Jabal Caliph, 97 b. Tank, Festival of the, see al-Kaff, 76 a. Small-pox in Egypt, 81 a. Epiphany. Sandarach burnt as incense, Snow in North Africa, 107a. Tanks, church, 25 b, 33 a, 9 b, 105 b. Soil, excellence of, in pro- 39 a. Sdsdm-wood, 83 b, ma. vince of Usyut, 87 b. Taxes, 46 b, 89 b. Sassanian dynasty, 55 a. Sphinx, The, 68 b. Temples, ancient Egyptian, Saviour, the, churches of, Sphinxes, avenue of, at 56 b, 99 b, 100 b. 72 b, 74 b, 90 a. Luxor, 105 a. at Denderah, 103 a. Scorpion, figure of, 100 b. Spoon for communion, 67 b. at Philae, 104 b. Screen of ebony and ivory, Spring, miraculous, in Wadt atUshmunain, 77 a. ' nia. 'l-'Ain, 92 b. The Tanner,' 35 a. Scribes, Coptic, 38 a & b, Staircase, 63 a. Three Hundred and Eigh- 39b, 41b, 42b, 43b, 45a, Stars, worship of the, 19 a. teen,Council of, see Nicaea. 59 a, 60 b, 62 a, 82 b. in India, 108 b. Threshold inscribed with Sebestan, 77 a. in Nubia, 96 a. hieroglyphics, 33 a, 34 a. Seleucian era, 80 b, 107 a. Stone masonry, 42 b, 43 a, Throne of king of Nubia, Sequestration of church pro- 50 a, 57 a, 69 a, 101b, 99 b. perty, 34a, 42b, 44b. 102 a. Tomb of king of Nubia, 98 b. Sharb (stuff), 19 b. Stones which cause rain of John the Monk, 51a. = fL 0T0Via when b. of a. Shartuniyah. x P t struck, 17 Tombs Pharaohs, 59 1 a b. b. 3 , 37a. Styrax, 105 Torpedo-fish, 19 3 8 2 CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES OF EGYPT.

Tower (Jausak), 39 b, 48 b, rakah where Jesus Christ Wall, triple, 73 b. 54 b, 55 b, 63 a & b, 66 a, and the B. V. Mary dwelt, Water used in liturgy, in- 67 a, 71 a & b, 73 a, 79 a, 79 b. stead of wine, by Abys- 82 b, 88 a & b, 89 a, 90 b, Vaulted roof, 45 a, 50 a & b, sinians, 106 a. 92 a, 104 b. 63 b. of consecration (holy b. Towns, names of, taken from Vaults, 2 water), 78 b, 98 a, 102 b. sons of Mizraim, 54 a. Veil, 67 b, 99 a. turned into wine, 78 b. Treasures, buried, 65 a. Vessels of church, 3 a, 29 b, Water-pipe, 63 a. Treasury, public, 19 a, 53 a. 31 a, 36 b, 44 b, 67 b. Water-wheel of Moses, Tree bearing fruit when Villagers, burying-place of, Church of, 92 a. approached by man with 63b. Water-wheels, 67 a, 103 b. an axe, 17 a. Vinegar used in liturgy by Weddings of Muslims at Tribes, Arab, which took Abyssinians, 106 a. Esneh, 102 a & b. part in conquest of Egypt, Vineyards, 54 b, 67 a. Wells, 31b, 33 a, 34 a, 41 22 a. Votive offerings, 56 b, 81 b, a&b, 43 b, 49 a, 51 b, Tribute of slaves paid by 83 b, 84 a, 88 b, 89 b, 54 b, 56 a, 61 a, 62 a, Nubians to Caliph, 97 b. 1 00 a, ma. 67 a, 79 a, 81 b, 102 b. Trinity, doctrine of, held by Vow made by Shawar, 81 b. White Week, The, 51b. Ibn al-Kanbar, 15 b. Whitewashing, 37 b, 45 b. Turnip-oil, 20 a. Wall, 81 a & b, 82 a, 91b. Wine, use of, in liturgy of Two Natures of Christ, of Cairo, 45 a. Abyssinians, 106 a. doctrine of, 12 a. of Kus, 81 b, 82 a. Wine-press, 55 b. Two Wills of Christ, doc- of Misr, 26 a, 29 b, 32 a, Works composed by Ibn al- trine of, 12 a. 53 a, 59 b, 83 a, 89 b, Kanbar, 1 6 b. 97 b. Worms (termes arda), 61 b, Vaulted chamber in moun- of Oases, 93 a. 63 b. tain-side near Al-Muhar- of Uswan, 101 b. Woven stuffs, 19 b. vL*3 ic*] ^aA3| iJ^ * \?r

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